Deputy Min. Oren tells Arutz Sheva state overlooking Israeli lone soldiers, particularly haredim, calls to form new agency to address issue.

On Wednesday, State Comptroller Yosef Shapira released a report criticizing Israel’s treatment of demobilized lone soldiers. Shapira found that while the IDF is generally responsive to the needs of the estimated 6,000 soldiers who do not live with their parents, there were severe shortcomings with assisting lone soldiers upon their discharge.

“There does not exist a comprehensive, inter-agency program that defines the goals of the country regarding the integration of veteran lone soldiers, without family support, in Israeli society,” read the report. “After their release from the military service, Israeli society faces a national mission to facilitate the integration of these lone soldiers into the civilian sphere.”

The report recommended that “interministerial national staff work, led by the director-general of the Defense Ministry, be held in order to advance a strategic plan aimed at absorbing lone soldiers in society after their release.”

The report was welcomed by Deputy Minister Michael Oren (Kulanu). Himself a former lone soldier in an elite reconnaissance unit, Oren founded the Lone Soldiers Lobby in the Knesset in 2016. He contends that while immigrant lone soldiers get the lion’s share of attention, it is the Israeli lone soldiers, who often come from low socio-economic backgrounds, that are most often overlooked.

“The majority of lone soldiers are those who...read more at Arutz Sheva