The Cabinet approved Sunday PM's initiative to increase employment of disabled persons in civil service. Directives to be issued in 45 days.

At its weekly meeting Sunday, the Cabinet approved for a preliminary Knesset reading, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Civil Services Commissioner Moshe Dayan's joint proposal to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the civil service.

The proposal stipulates that disabled persons will receive representation of not less than 3% of all civil service employees by 2017. At that date, the Cabinet will then consider gradually raising the rate by an additional 2% - for a total of 5% of all civil service employees, by 2019.

The Civil Service Commissioner, in conjunction with Finance Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), Economy Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), Justice Minister Tzipi Livni (Hatnua), and the Equal Opportunity for Disabled Persons Commissioner, will, within a time span of 45 days, issue directives regarding the implementation of this decision.

A similar directive for representation of disabled persons in the private sector has been set as well.

The Israeli Knesset enacted the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law in 1998, focusing on enshrining the basic right of a person with disabilities to equality, human dignity, and active participation in all aspects of society.

Three important additions were made in 2005 with the enactment of the accessibility amendment to the Equal Rights Law in March 2005, the Television Broadcasts (Subtitles and Sign Language) Law which passed in July 2005, and the Interrogation and Testification Procedure (Accommodations for persons with mental and psychiatric disabilities) Law in November 2005.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, during the weekly Cabinet meeting said of this new proposal, "this is a socially just law, a humanitarian law of the first order, and it shows the disabled that their disabilities need not prevent them from participating as equal members, and contributing as equals, in the public service of the State of Israel."