Sela administration head Zvia Shimon told Ha'aretz
this week that construction has yet to begin on a single
permanent house for any of those evacuated from Gush Katif 13
months ago. However, she claimed that "much progress had been
made in recent months."
Eighteen locations have been designated for communities for
those uprooted from Gaza and, though some are in advanced
stages of the planning and permit process, none has as of yet
reached the construction stage. Although most of the former
Gush Katif residents are living in caravans and caravillas
(temporary manufactured housing) at various locations, or
other interim housing that is intended to serve for a
moderate period, progress on building permanent replacements
for the communities that were destroyed has been slow.
The Gush Katif Committee sent a memo to government ministries
detailing the situation of the former Gush Katif residents
with regard to permanent construction at various
locations.
Nitzanim, for example, is intended as a massive development
and was touted by the Sela Administration set up by the
government to deal with the evacuation as a broad solution
since it involved hundreds of housing units in separate
clusters for those who formerly lived in the agricultural
settlements Gadid, Gan Or, Morag, Bedolach, Nisanit and
others. Today it is making no progress towards construction.
Work has not in fact begun, because what the Gush Katif
Committee says is government foot-dragging and also because
of a High Court of Justice petition by the Ashkelon
municipality.
Two other projects in the Ashkelon area are the Golf
Neighborhood and Nitzan. 150 families from northern Gush
Katif signed up to live in the Golf Neighborhood before the
evacuation. Despite government promises that work would
commence immediately since the settlers signed an advance
agreement, the state has yet to complete even the land
purchase.
In Nitzan about 350 families registered for the project. The
plan is to expand the existing community of Nitzan to house
primarily Neveh Dekalim evacuees. It is considered at an
advanced stage and infrastructure is in fact expected to be
ready this December. Nonetheless, the agreement with the
government has not been signed because of major problems
regarding public buildings, property appraisal and more.
The situation is similar at all the other locations around
the country at which developments are planned for the Gush
Katif evacuees. Planning is dragging, there are disputes with
existing communities, and in general no concrete agreements
have been concluded. Locations include Yad Binyamin, Chofetz
Chaim, Yesodot, Carmit, and others.
