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)