Rivlin (pictured on left), a former Knesset Speaker and widely respected in political and public circles, was briefed on the plight of the displaced Jewish families, whose permanent homes are still years from being completed. He said that the State's "obligation to rehabilitate and find permanent settlement solutions for the expellees is 100% in consensus."
"Even members of the [left-wing] Meretz Party," he continued, "feel that it is in their interest to ensure that the Evacuation-Compensation Law is effectively implemented... Those on the left, such as Labor, call you 'evacuees,' while I call you 'expellees,' and that's the whole difference. They want to solve this problem from the standpoint of wanting to continue evacuating Jews out of the Land of Israel."
"The only problem is economic," MK Rivlin said, "as there are people in the Finance Ministry who think far ahead about how much an evacuation from Judea and Samaria will cost."
President Katzav's term is set to end next year, unless he resigns earlier. Among those who have expressed interest in the job are former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau, Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer of Labor, former Justice Minister Amnon Rubenstein (Meretz), and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres (Kadima).
Moti Sender of Katif.net reports that Dror Vanunu and Hagit Yaron of the Gush Katif Residents Committee also met with Rivlin in the sukkah in Nitzan. They told him of the social and economic problems facing many of the expelled residents - nearly all of whom, up until the day of the expulsion in August 2005, were productive citizens earning more than the national average and helping the nation's agricultural economy.
Rivlin said that solutions for problems of this nature can be achieved "only by amendments to the relevant legislation."
Quoting the State Comptroller's report on the Disengagement, Rivlin said, "They didn't think before they did it. First they made a decision, then they said, OK, let's see how we solve all these problems... More and more people are now saying they made a mistake, but who knows, the next time they'll do the same thing."
Ruby Rivlin is a descendant of the famous Rivlin family of Jerusalem, whose ties to the Land of Israel date back 200 years when the students of the Vilna Gaon arrived here. Married with four children, and a lawyer by profession, Rivlin has served in the Knesset since 1996, as well as from 1988-1992, and was Minister of Communications under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"Even members of the [left-wing] Meretz Party," he continued, "feel that it is in their interest to ensure that the Evacuation-Compensation Law is effectively implemented... Those on the left, such as Labor, call you 'evacuees,' while I call you 'expellees,' and that's the whole difference. They want to solve this problem from the standpoint of wanting to continue evacuating Jews out of the Land of Israel."
"The only problem is economic," MK Rivlin said, "as there are people in the Finance Ministry who think far ahead about how much an evacuation from Judea and Samaria will cost."
President Katzav's term is set to end next year, unless he resigns earlier. Among those who have expressed interest in the job are former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau, Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer of Labor, former Justice Minister Amnon Rubenstein (Meretz), and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres (Kadima).
Moti Sender of Katif.net reports that Dror Vanunu and Hagit Yaron of the Gush Katif Residents Committee also met with Rivlin in the sukkah in Nitzan. They told him of the social and economic problems facing many of the expelled residents - nearly all of whom, up until the day of the expulsion in August 2005, were productive citizens earning more than the national average and helping the nation's agricultural economy.
Rivlin said that solutions for problems of this nature can be achieved "only by amendments to the relevant legislation."
Quoting the State Comptroller's report on the Disengagement, Rivlin said, "They didn't think before they did it. First they made a decision, then they said, OK, let's see how we solve all these problems... More and more people are now saying they made a mistake, but who knows, the next time they'll do the same thing."
Ruby Rivlin is a descendant of the famous Rivlin family of Jerusalem, whose ties to the Land of Israel date back 200 years when the students of the Vilna Gaon arrived here. Married with four children, and a lawyer by profession, Rivlin has served in the Knesset since 1996, as well as from 1988-1992, and was Minister of Communications under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.