EXCERPTS
The Prime Minister's Office is currently promoting a two-week paternity leave initiative for fathers.
The vacation, as opposed to what is customary today, would not come at the expense of the mother's leave, but granted to the father from the state budget after the mother completed her maternity leave. According to the model being formulated, the vacation would last at least two weeks and reach a month at most.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu supports the move, but the recommendation is expected to be consolidated by the ministry's professional staff in the next government.
According to estimates, the cost of each week of parental leave for a father is about half a billion shekels to the state coffers, if 100% of the fathers take advantage of it.
Today, fathers in Israel do not receive a designated paid leave from the state, but they can share the maternity leave they are entitled to from the state (15 weeks). In practice, less than one percent of fathers do so. Of the approximately 140,000 births in which the mother is entitled to maternity leave each year, an average of 1,000 men take advantage of this option.
At first the team examined the possibility that the father take a vacation parallel to the mother, but this option was rejected. Recently, the office initiated a process for public participation and approached employers and various companies to hear their opinions on the move.