Bused out of their homes and towns in August of 2005, taken to live in hotels or domitories for up to several months, and finally brought to small, temporary, pre-fab homes "for the interim," many hundreds of former Gush Katif families still have no idea when they will be able to resume their lives.
Out of 25 possibilities for permanent communities - each of them involving families whose individual problems and hardships continue to intensify under the difficult conditions - the government has finalized only one (1) agreement.
The lone signed agreement, according to the Gush Katif Committee, involves 50 families from two northern Gaza communities, Elei Sinai and Nisanit, who are to live in Bat Hadar, just outside Ashkelon. Construction has started, and the families are expected to move in "soon."
However, 1,400 other families expelled from their homes during the Disengagement 15 months ago are not as lucky.
For instance, 30 families - also from Elei Sinai and Nisanit - that agreed to relocate to the Galilee last summer, continue even now to find themselves with no clear prospects for a permanent solution.
Katif Committee spokesman Yinon Kadari writes,
"The decision [by the 30 families] to make a radical change and move to the northern community of Bustan HaGalil, just north of Acco, was made in light of the government's promise to enable them to build their lives and permanent homes within a year. However, over a year has passed - and nothing is being done to facilitate this."
One man, 47-year-old Danny Deibuch, father of four, moved to a house in Bustan HaGalil that has begun to tilt, and has developed large cracks in many of the walls, plumbing leaks, and more. Danny, who has not found work in the north and who has not received government compensation for the expulsion, says,
It used to be that the Katif representatives, when reporting on their status, divided themselves up according to their original Gush Katif communities. Their latest report, however, lists the future communities they wish to build, noting only in passing the towns from which they originally hailed. The one thing that 24 of them have in common is that they are not finalized - and the families continue to wait.
Among the on-paper communities are:
Lior Kalfa, Chairman of the Katif Committee, recently wrote a letter to all the former residents of Gush Katif, saying,
"As we review the past 15 months since we were uprooted from our homes... we see the bureaucracy in the State of Israel piling up difficulties, and the decision makers not doing what is required to bring us quickly and with clear timetables to our permanent communities. The continuing uncertainty that has accompanied us for the past three years, ever since the 'uprooting plan' was first conceived, makes it difficult for us to function both as families and as communities."
Kalfa continues, "We demand of the Prime Minister and the Knesset to settle the expelled communities in permanent towns. We demand that every family have a signed agreement within two months, and emergency measures should be employed to this end. We demand that the Prime Minister issue clear directives, just as was done to execute the expulsion plan."
After emphasizing the importance of continued unity and cooperation among the families, Kalfa writes,
"As of now, after certain actions that include the involvement of several Knesset Members, the Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office is now personally involved in the issue of permanent communities. In addition, 62 MKs of all the parties - except the Arab parties - have signed the proposal to improve the original Evacuation-Compensation law. We continue to bring MKs to the area to see for themselves...
"We are full of hope that our just struggle will bear fruit speedily, and that we will merit to continue to rebuild our lives, and that unity will continue to be revealed amongst ourselves..."
For more information, click on the katifund.org site.
Out of 25 possibilities for permanent communities - each of them involving families whose individual problems and hardships continue to intensify under the difficult conditions - the government has finalized only one (1) agreement.
The lone signed agreement, according to the Gush Katif Committee, involves 50 families from two northern Gaza communities, Elei Sinai and Nisanit, who are to live in Bat Hadar, just outside Ashkelon. Construction has started, and the families are expected to move in "soon."
However, 1,400 other families expelled from their homes during the Disengagement 15 months ago are not as lucky.
For instance, 30 families - also from Elei Sinai and Nisanit - that agreed to relocate to the Galilee last summer, continue even now to find themselves with no clear prospects for a permanent solution.
Katif Committee spokesman Yinon Kadari writes,
"The decision [by the 30 families] to make a radical change and move to the northern community of Bustan HaGalil, just north of Acco, was made in light of the government's promise to enable them to build their lives and permanent homes within a year. However, over a year has passed - and nothing is being done to facilitate this."
One man, 47-year-old Danny Deibuch, father of four, moved to a house in Bustan HaGalil that has begun to tilt, and has developed large cracks in many of the walls, plumbing leaks, and more. Danny, who has not found work in the north and who has not received government compensation for the expulsion, says,
"We would be willing to tolerate all this if only the government would fulfill its promise to get us settled quickly. But a year has passed, and nothing has been done; in fact, everything is worse. The house is in danger of collapse, no compensation has been paid us, we're still paying the mortgage on our old house that no longer exists, I have no work, the children live in uncertainty and are not doing well, marriages are endangered - and we have no more strength to fight windmills. I guess this is how the government wants to treat its citizens. The winter is coming, and I pray to G-d that there not be a catastrophe here."
It used to be that the Katif representatives, when reporting on their status, divided themselves up according to their original Gush Katif communities. Their latest report, however, lists the future communities they wish to build, noting only in passing the towns from which they originally hailed. The one thing that 24 of them have in common is that they are not finalized - and the families continue to wait.
Among the on-paper communities are:
- Nitzan, just north of Ashkelon. 340 families, mostly from N'vei Dekalim, await a signed agreement with the government to build this town. Though infrastructures are expected to be ready by early 2007, problems are still extant regarding public buildings, eligibility for children who are now getting married, and more.
- Talmei Yaffe, near Ashkelon. 24 families from Elei Sinai have fallen victim to mistaken State budgeting for planning and development, yet the Finance Ministry refuses to add the necessary funds.
- Carmit and Egoz, in the Eastern Lachish region, between Kiryat Gat and Hevron. 120 families, mostly from N'vei Dekalim, and 15-20 other families from Kfar Darom, currently living in an Ashkelon high-rise, want to build new towns in this area, but the government has not yet begun planning them.
- Yevul and Yated, in the Halutza Sands area of the western Negev, not far from the Egyptian-Gaza border. 60 families from Netzarim and 30 families from Atzmona are awaiting the beginning of infrastructure construction here. As with the others, the government has not yet signed an agreement with them.
- Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim, south of Rehovot. 80 families from Ganei Tal are living in temporary homes in nearby Yad Binyamin, unsure when construction will start on their new community. Though they are mostly former farmers, no contracts have been signed with them to continue this work, and no commitments have been given regarding public buildings.
- Yesodot, just east of Yad Binyamin. 50 families from Netzer Hazani have agreed to build a new neighborhood there, but no agreement has yet been reached with the people of Yesodot. Planning is only in its initial stages.
Lior Kalfa, Chairman of the Katif Committee, recently wrote a letter to all the former residents of Gush Katif, saying,
"As we review the past 15 months since we were uprooted from our homes... we see the bureaucracy in the State of Israel piling up difficulties, and the decision makers not doing what is required to bring us quickly and with clear timetables to our permanent communities. The continuing uncertainty that has accompanied us for the past three years, ever since the 'uprooting plan' was first conceived, makes it difficult for us to function both as families and as communities."
Kalfa continues, "We demand of the Prime Minister and the Knesset to settle the expelled communities in permanent towns. We demand that every family have a signed agreement within two months, and emergency measures should be employed to this end. We demand that the Prime Minister issue clear directives, just as was done to execute the expulsion plan."
After emphasizing the importance of continued unity and cooperation among the families, Kalfa writes,
"As of now, after certain actions that include the involvement of several Knesset Members, the Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office is now personally involved in the issue of permanent communities. In addition, 62 MKs of all the parties - except the Arab parties - have signed the proposal to improve the original Evacuation-Compensation law. We continue to bring MKs to the area to see for themselves...
"We are full of hope that our just struggle will bear fruit speedily, and that we will merit to continue to rebuild our lives, and that unity will continue to be revealed amongst ourselves..."
For more information, click on the katifund.org site.