Copyright 2005 Ynet
July 11
HEADLINE: USD 10 million for missing soldier info
BYLINE: Tal Rozner
TEL AVIV- The Supreme Court ruled Monday the state must offer a USD 10 million reward for information about all missing IDF soldiers, in response to a petition by the family of Yehuda Katz, a soldier missing in action since the 1982 battle of Sutlan Yaakub in Lebanon.
The State requested six months in order to organize the plan, but Justice Eliezer Rivlin said that "six months for the families of the MIAs is an eternity."
The Katz family asked the court to offer reward money to anyone with information about Yehuda, as it has for information about missing airman Ron Arad.
Yossi Katz, father of Yehuda, told Ynet "we feel all MIAs should receive equal treatment,".
"If they created a fund for reward money for Ron Arad, they should do the same for Yehuda. This isn't for us, its for all of Israel. They created a fund for a pilot that didn't return. Our son was in the Armored Corps, and also did not return from battle. We want the reward fund to include our son."
In response to the petition, the State wrote: "The government of Israel and the security forces work tirelessly and equally for information on IDF MIAs. In this context, reward money for information on Yehuda Katz, along with all others who are missing will be provided, as it is regarding information on Ron Arad."