Eliezer Yaakov, who served as treasurer of the former Gaza Coast (Gush Katif) Regional Council for the last ten years of its existence, is currently engaged in finding such a solution. He currently lives in Nitzan, north of Ashkelon, the largest of the two or three caravila [temporary pre-fab structure] sites built for the expelled residents. Yaakov is putting the finishing preparatory touches on a drive to register families that might be interested in moving to a new community in nearby Nitzanim.
"As soon as 200 families sign up," Yaakov told Arutz-7 today, "the planning and construction will get underway. The government has informed us that it can't begin until that number of familes is signed up."
Until then, the families continue to live in uncertainty. One woman, originally from the Gush Katif town of Gan-Or, said, "We are interested in Nitzanim, but we can't say for sure until we know who and what is involved."
Yaakov says this is not a problem: "The signature is not obligatory. We just need to show the government that we have 200 families that are interested, but they can renege at any time - up until the moment they sign up for a specific plot of land."
Yaakov, who himself lived in Gan-Or until he was thrown out this past summer, says he thinks the Nitzanim option is the best one for all concerned: "There is room in Nitzanim for 1,020 housing units. Together with the 442 in Nitzan [the permanent community, not the caravila site - ed.], this is certainly room enough for practically all of Gush Katif. If we have 5,000 residents, the government has said that we can become our own regional council."
Asked, "Why then has Nitzanim has not become the option of choice?", Yaakov explained, "Some feel that it is a little too high-class, and that they wish to contribute educationally and socially to other areas and in other ways. But I think that the people of Ashkelon, which is very close to Nitzanim, have been very welcoming, and I think that we will be able to make our presence and our strengths felt [in Ashkelon]. In general, we have been through a major trauma, and we are hurting now; let us first heal ourselves, and then later we'll be able to contribute once again."
Another problem clouding the Nitzanim option is the fact that it does not provide a solution for the many families that were engaged in agriculture. The government is not willing to provide agricultural lands in close proximity to Nitzanim.
Despite all, Yaakov is confident that 200 families will be found in a short while - "especially given the fact that within 2-4 weeks, another 130 families should be moving in to new caravilas here in Nitzan, for a total of over 450." He explained that the Nitzanim project is likely to be divided into two parts, about four kilometers apart.
Continuing to push the Nitzanim option, Yaakov said,
"The truth is, I feel bad for those groups that went off on their own to start new communities [such as Atzmonah and Netzarim]. Speaking as someone who worked as the regional council treasurer for ten years, I know what it's like to try to get funding for the educational institutions that are important to us, such as kollels [Torah study programs for adults] and yeshivot. When they come to ask for funding the way they were used to getting in Gush Katif, the regional councils in the Negev won't even know what they're talking about.
"I can tell you that the Atzmonah school in their Faith City encampment has already piled up a big deficit. Even in the Binyamin Regional Council, I know they don't provide the same financial help to these institutions that we used to."
Q. "But they'll tell you that just like you started out ten years ago and learned the ropes the hard way and built up what you did, they will work hard and do the same, and in the end there will be more schools and more yeshivot and more communities in the Land of Israel."
A. "Yes, but it's very hard, and the situation is different now, and we don't all necessarily have the same strengths we used to have..."