A mother and her 24-year-old son were hurt on Sunday when they barricaded themselves inside a caravan in the Nitzan displaced persons camp and turned on the gas. The woman later said she “wanted to put an end to this nightmare.” The two were protesting the Sela Disengagement Authority's failure to grant them a larger living space as promised.
The mother, Ayala, her husband, and four grown children were expelled from their home in northern Samaria in 2005 under the government's “Disengagement” plan. Since then the family has lived in a 60-square-meter mobile home in Nitzan. Both Ayala and her husband have suffered health problems since being forced from their home and Ayala reported that she had even attempted suicide.
The family repeatedly requested a larger living space, and according to Ayala, they were told that they would be granted a larger space as soon as one became available. Two families recently left Nitzan for permanent housing, and one left a caravan with 100 square meters of space. However, instead of giving the larger caravan to Ayala and her family, the Sela Disengagement Authority decided to relocate it to Moshav Shokeda, where it would be used by families waiting for their houses to be completed.
When they saw that the promised caravan was being moved, Ayala and her son raced into the building to delay the de-construction process. They turned on the gas and quickly passed out, but were removed from the scene and revived by medical personnel. Both suffered light wounds.
Despite her injuries, Ayala said she was determined to continue her battle. “I don't plan to leave until they give me that caravan, and I'll barricade myself in there again if necessary,” she told a Ynet reporter.
Reactions to the incident were mixed. One local resident, Dror Tanami, told reporters that the incident resulted from the Sela Authority's failure to treat residents with basic respect. “I'm talking about treating us humanely,” he said. Sela officials had not cleared the removal of the caravan with local officials as they are supposed to do, he added.
Another resident said the removal of the caravan was a positive step. The temporary housing in Nitzan must be removed to prevent the transitional housing from becoming permanent, he said.
However, local authorities warned that removing homes would not be enough. Approximately 100 families living in Nitzan will not be able to move to permanent housing, they said. The families have been unable to find new employment since being forced out of Gaza and northern Samaria, and have since been forced to use all of the money they were given as compensation for the expulsion to buy basic necessities such as food and clothing.