Building Caravans
Building CaravansIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The government’s plan to demolish homes in Beit El’s Ulpana neighborhood threatens to leave more than one set of families homeless. In addition to the 30 families facing eviction in Beit El, 40 young families of Gush Katif expellees are facing the prospect of another year in the temporary caravan sites that have become long-term homes.

The young families were told they could start a long-awaited mass relocation to the Lachish region and would be given 40 mobile homes to stay in while they wait for construction of permanent homes. The families underwent the complicated process of finding work in the Lachish region and registering their children to local schools.

Then, just weeks before the move was to take place, government officials informed them that the mobile homes they had been promised would be taken to Beit El instead, to be used as housing for the more than 140 people facing eviction.

“It’s adding insult to injury,” said Eitan Ben-Hor, a member of the administrative committee for the planned Lachish-region town Bnei Dekalim.

“We’re families who want to move forward to permanent communities – not to have things easy, but to sacrifice in order to push things forward,” he said. “Suddenly at the last second they take the caravans in order to expel other people.”

“I’m not disappointed,” he added. “As someone from Gush Katif I don’t expect too much from the state. But I’m shocked by the lack of compassion. There are really no words to describe it.”