In recognition of this, the Federal Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schauble, signed on Thursday the revision of the original compensation contract of 1952, the increase in pensions of people living in Eastern Europe and the enlargement of beneficiaries. Contributions for home care for survivors have already been increased. Survivors pass by every day, but the other aspect is that individual survivors need more help than ever before,” Julius Berman, president of the conference on Jewish material claims against Germany, told The Associated Press. “While a person came out of the camps at a very young age and eventually developed their own life over the years, the effects of what happened at the beginning are now at the forefront. Whether mentally or physically, they are sicker than their peers. The agreements were then unique in the history of mankind. The three units involved – the Claims Conference, West Germany and Israel – did not exist at the time of the Second World War, yet all reached an agreement on compensation for crimes committed during that period. Negotiations between federal Department of Finance officials and representatives of the claims conference have also evolved over the decades. Although there was a rigid silence when the original agreement was signed, negotiators now see the other side as a partner with the common goal of reaching as many survivors as possible while they still can. The very idea of negotiating with Germany was strongly opposed in Israel, especially during the Knesset debate on direct negotiations with the Federal Republic in January 1952. Under the leadership of Menachem Begin (later Prime Minister of Israel), violent demonstrations took place in front of the Knesset and clashes with the police; In the end, the army had to quell the riots. In front of the protests in front of the Knesset, there was a big face to face. Bégin said the negotiation would be a “revolting abomination” that would amount to “taking blood money” from the culprits. Herut was not alone in opposing it.
The religious parties Mapam, General Zionists and Maki opposed the government`s plan, arguing that it was immoral to negotiate with Germany. Nevertheless, there was a positive result with 60 votes in, 51 against, 5 abstentions and 4 absentees.