The former political talk show host for Israel Radio, known for her dovish political views, said the refugees’ lack of cooperation with the Israeli authorities prior to the expulsion from their homes should not be a factor in evaluating the government’s performance on this issue.
“Their opposition…and their lack of cooperation does not derogate one bit from our responsibility towards them,” she said. “The bottom line is we failed.”
Yechimovitch, who says she is attempting to restore the Labor Party to its core values based on social justice and equality, said the Gush Katif refugees “symbolize the loss of our values.”
She said she would work to change the legislation governing the Disengagement in order to make it more financially generous towards the refugees. “This is our obligation in this government and in this coalition,” Yechimovitch said.
Despite her efforts to reach out to Gush Katif refugees, Yechimovitch said she hoped more Israelis would be expelled from their homes in Judea and Samaria, as part of the government’s policy to carry out more unilateral withdrawals from territory.
She said, however, that she recognized it was unreasonable to expect residents to cooperate with the government’s plans to demolish their homes and communities, saying cynically, “A person sentenced to death does not cooperate with his hangmen.”
As part of the Knesset debate on the status of the refugees, MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union/NRP) presented statistics that painted a grim picture nearly one year after the expulsion was carried out.
Orlev said that only 17% of those who had made their living from agriculture have found work. Overall, 77% of all former Gush Katif residents were suffering financially due to the disengagement.
“What else has to be said for the government to atone for expelling people from their homes,” Orlev said. “After all, we’re talking about citizens of this country and it would be appropriate for the state to relate to these people as such.”
“We need to know what plans and timetables the government has for dealing with these people,” he added.
“Their opposition…and their lack of cooperation does not derogate one bit from our responsibility towards them,” she said. “The bottom line is we failed.”
Yechimovitch, who says she is attempting to restore the Labor Party to its core values based on social justice and equality, said the Gush Katif refugees “symbolize the loss of our values.”
She said she would work to change the legislation governing the Disengagement in order to make it more financially generous towards the refugees. “This is our obligation in this government and in this coalition,” Yechimovitch said.
Despite her efforts to reach out to Gush Katif refugees, Yechimovitch said she hoped more Israelis would be expelled from their homes in Judea and Samaria, as part of the government’s policy to carry out more unilateral withdrawals from territory.
She said, however, that she recognized it was unreasonable to expect residents to cooperate with the government’s plans to demolish their homes and communities, saying cynically, “A person sentenced to death does not cooperate with his hangmen.”
As part of the Knesset debate on the status of the refugees, MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union/NRP) presented statistics that painted a grim picture nearly one year after the expulsion was carried out.
Orlev said that only 17% of those who had made their living from agriculture have found work. Overall, 77% of all former Gush Katif residents were suffering financially due to the disengagement.
“What else has to be said for the government to atone for expelling people from their homes,” Orlev said. “After all, we’re talking about citizens of this country and it would be appropriate for the state to relate to these people as such.”
“We need to know what plans and timetables the government has for dealing with these people,” he added.