Holocaust benefits draw criticism

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has reached a controversial financial agreement with representatives of the country's holocaust survivors.

The plan says only those who survived World War II death camps will receive an additional $285 a month in benefits, Ynetnews.com reported Monday.

"According to the deal, if Anne Frank were alive today she would not have been recognized as a Holocaust survivor because she was not taken to a death camp," said Ophir Pines-Paz, a Labor Party member of the Knesset. "This indicates how absurd the government's decision is."

Knesset speaker Dalia Itzik apologized to Holocaust survivors Monday for neglecting their needs over the past few decades.

"Israel demanded reparation funds from Germany, but did not allocate them in a just and logical manner to those who need them," Itzik said.

She promised to work on rectifying the situation.