Many requests that came to human rights organizations, led by the 'Tselmo' organization, as well as organizations working for people with disabilities, led by 'Equal Opportunity,' lamented the lack of accessibility on Israeli beaches at the beginning of the bathing season, especially for the religious and ultra-Orthodox population - who have almost no accessible beaches.
These requests were forwarded centrally to the office of the chairman of the Knesset's lobby for people with disabilities, MK Michael Malchieli, who in turn connected the representatives of the organizations with the office of the Deputy Minister of the Interior, in the hope of finding a quick solution.
Indeed, a positive meeting was held last night, in which representatives of the organizations presented the information and options, and at the end it was decided to map the inaccessible beaches and conduct an examination of how they can be made accessible in minimal time and without high costs, and how to distribute accessibility throughout the country.
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Shai Glick, CEO of 'Tselmo': "Israel's beaches are a national asset that belongs to everyone. It is impossible for natural resources to be inaccessible to the entire population. We will continue to work to promote, integrate, and make every public place accessible. We thank Deputy Minister Rabbi Yoav Ben-Zur, who expressed to us his commitment to caring for the entire public in need of these services, and for his activity in expediting this important issue.".
Oren Hellman, founder of the Equal Opportunity organization: "A million people with severe functional disabilities live in Israel. They too deserve to swim in the sea, Israel's greatest natural resource. An inaccessible beach for a person with a disability is like an empty pool! Accessibility is equality. No one wants to live in an unequal country, especially for those who have it harder. We are happy that Deputy Minister Ben Tzur and MK Malchieli are showing leadership and working to correct the injustice!"'
Yuval Wagner, President of the Israel Accessibility Association: "The sea is a beloved resource for all Israeli citizens. In Israel, there are approximately 600,000 people with severe disabilities, and there are also hundreds of thousands of elderly citizens who also want and are entitled to enjoy spending time at sea. In order to enable this, there is legislation on accessibility to bathing beaches within the framework of the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law. This legislation defines the number of beaches required to be accessible out of the total number of beaches declared for use by the general public.
""These beaches require accessibility that will primarily allow people in wheelchairs and those with mobility impairments. This accessibility includes disabled parking, access roads, disabled services and adapted locker rooms, an access path to the water's edge, at least two paved sheds, and wheelchairs that allow entry into the water.".
""An inspection by the Israel Accessibility Association found that most beaches do not meet the requirements of the regulations. We were pleased today with Deputy Minister Yoav Ben-Zur's decision to work to make beaches accessible for the benefit of people with disabilities, including making separate beaches accessible to the religious public.".
Deputy Minister of the Interior, Yoav Ben-Tzur: "Immediately upon taking office, I asked to meet with the main activists who deal with the rights of people with disabilities, in order to understand the challenges, and out of a desire to formulate with them a comprehensive plan for maximum accessibility of Israel's beaches. I agreed with the activists that they would present me with an organized and detailed plan with all the accessibility problems on all of Israel's beaches, and I hope that already in the current bathing season I will be able to bring good news to this population.".
MK Michael Malchieli: "The Shas movement is committed to the transparent and disadvantaged public, both in every matter and on this important issue. I am confident that the activities of Deputy Minister Rabbi Yoav Ben-Zur will bring significant achievements and good news soon in Gaza.".
