The agreement reached in the US will serve as the basis for the multi-billion shekel lawsuit.
The advisory committee to the deputy Minister of Health on the matter of cigarette smoking, recommends a lawsuit be filed against cigarette manufacturers in Israel and abroad for expenses caused to the State of Israel by cigarette-related diseases. The committee met today with deputy Minister of Health Shlomo Benizri.
The amount of the claim has not yet been determined but, according to committee member Amos Hausner, it would be in the billions of shekels range. He said the sum would be based on the number of Israelis who smoke, relative to the number of US smokers, with the amount reached in the US serving as a basis of calculations.
The committee’s establishment had no connection to the US negotiations between cigarette makers, the US state attorneys and consumer advocates, but the agreement reached over the weekend in the US served as a basis for today’s discussion.
Hausner said a series of decisions reached in the US agreement, especially the $368 billion in damages to be paid by manufacturers, would serve as a basis for determining the amount demanded in the Israeli lawsuit. He estimated the amount at some NIS 27 billion.