Man dies after setting himself on fire in welfare protest
An Israeli who set himself on fire in protest at economic difficulties has died, the hospital treating him said yesterday, the second such death in a few days.
Akiva Mafi (45), a wheelchair- bound army veteran, doused his body in petrol and lit it at a bus station on July 22nd, after what friends described as a debilitating battle for welfare benefits.
On July 14th, Moshe Silman (57), a debt-ridden member of a grassroots movement calling for lower living costs, self-immolated during a demonstration in Tel Aviv and died two weeks later.
Mr Silman left a note accusing prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s conservative government of “taking from the poor and giving to the rich”.
Local media reported similar attempts among others suffering economic hardship. – (Reuters)
