The needed and the needy: The policy legacies of benefits for disabled warveterans in Israel

In contrast to most other welfare states, the development of the Israeli we lfare state has occurred in the shadow of an ongoing military conflict. Thi s study examines one of the consequences of this development by focusing on the impact of benefits for disabled war veterans upon the country's social security system, Not only are the benefits for Israeli disabled veterans m ore generous and expensive than those in other welfare states but they have also had a significant impact upon the nature of other social security pro grammes, In particular, we identify the differential impact of the policy l egacies of this programme on benefits and services for other 'deserving' gr oups in Israeli society and on programmes for those disabled from natural c auses.