Tzvika Slonim of Kedumim, a veteran of large-scale public protests against left-wing government policies, has organized this one as well. "It took us ten days to get a permit for the protest, but now we have started," he told Arutz-7. "We are protesting against the closed-heartedness of the Prime Minister and the government ministers, who knew very well how to uproot the residents of Gush Katif and northern Shomron, but are not taking proper care of them now, more than three months later, when we see that the situation is catastrophic."
"As a long-time family and communal social worker," Slonim said, "I can say clearly that this is going to be an open wound for the next 3-10 years. So many people live in very difficult conditions, and their hotel rooms have become like jails for them. Many children are not set up in schools, many are showing signs of distress and disturbances - though they never had a trace of this in the past - and there are families and couples that are breaking apart. The difficulties are tremendous. I'm telling you, this will be a great stain on Israeli society, if it is not taken care of immediately, and that's what we're demanding."
"True, the government is planning [communities] and the like, but that's for three years from now. For now, they should be in places where they can live like people, not in tiny places where they can't fit in their table and chairs. There must be a framework of social workers who can help the dozens of children who are in real distress and who aren't in schools because they have been torn away from their communities... People don't know where their belongings are - or if they do, when they go to get them, they have to pay... or they find them destroyed."
"We're also calling upon the public, and especially the liberal sector - even if they favored the disengagement, I'm sure their heart is open to their brothers' plight; why haven't we heard from them in any way - a play or a song or something depicting the hardships they face?"
Slonim said that in order to be considered an official sit-in striker, one must take part in the protest for three days. "But even those who can't remain for that long, are invited to come and visit, even if just for an hour or two."
"As a long-time family and communal social worker," Slonim said, "I can say clearly that this is going to be an open wound for the next 3-10 years. So many people live in very difficult conditions, and their hotel rooms have become like jails for them. Many children are not set up in schools, many are showing signs of distress and disturbances - though they never had a trace of this in the past - and there are families and couples that are breaking apart. The difficulties are tremendous. I'm telling you, this will be a great stain on Israeli society, if it is not taken care of immediately, and that's what we're demanding."
"True, the government is planning [communities] and the like, but that's for three years from now. For now, they should be in places where they can live like people, not in tiny places where they can't fit in their table and chairs. There must be a framework of social workers who can help the dozens of children who are in real distress and who aren't in schools because they have been torn away from their communities... People don't know where their belongings are - or if they do, when they go to get them, they have to pay... or they find them destroyed."
"We're also calling upon the public, and especially the liberal sector - even if they favored the disengagement, I'm sure their heart is open to their brothers' plight; why haven't we heard from them in any way - a play or a song or something depicting the hardships they face?"
Slonim said that in order to be considered an official sit-in striker, one must take part in the protest for three days. "But even those who can't remain for that long, are invited to come and visit, even if just for an hour or two."