Residents of two communities in Gush Katif who were expelled in 2005 are one step closer to getting new homes, after the National Planning and Construction Council put up to objections the regional master plan which calls for the establishment of two new communities for these residents.
The two communities are Netzer Hazani and Ganei Tal, and both will keep their original names. The new communities will be established in the Nahal Sorek Regional Council.
After the destruction of Ganei Tal, its residents were forced to move into temporary caravans, where they lived for nearly six years. The community has already been reestablished near the central Israel kibbutz of Hafetz Haim and has been enjoying a huge construction boom, as resident Ezra Eldar told Arutz Sheva.
“I don’t really know what exactly this approval refers to but I do know that the community of Ganei Tal is in the midst of a massive construction boom,” Eldar said. “Today 30 families live here, by Pesach there will be 50 to 60 families here. In the summer there will be at least 80 families. The community is set to return to what it was in Gush Katif.”
Eldar said that the community members underwent many hardships over the years just to get to the point where new homes could be built, but despite this he said that “the feeling is good.”
“We underwent a lot of hardships prior to the construction itself,” he said, “but I hope that when we finally enter our homes we can finally put our heads down and say, ‘Thank G-d we’ve arrived at the right place.’”