Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Disengaged? Hotel...Evicted? Streets....

Yesterday a Haaretz article made this statement:

On his program a week ago, Reno Tsror revealed a stunning figure: In Israel, 20 families a day are evicted from their homes because they have not managed to keep up their mortgage payments. Twenty families are thrown out of their homes into the street every day - minus Sabbaths and holidays, and just plain lazy days - about 100 families a week, about 5,000 a year. Who has heard about this at all, who has wept a tear for them, who has taken an interest in their traumas, who has provided psychologists and caravillas for them?

Today's Jerusalem Post provides details as to what will happen to those settlers who refuse to leave and wait for the military to remove them.

Air conditioning, swimming pools and continental breakfasts await the settlers who will be forcibly evacuated from their Gaza Strip homes, as the government moved forward with plans to reserve 1,000 hotel rooms for the week following the disengagement.

The Jerusalem Post has learned that the Paradise Hotel in Beersheba, the military resort Kfar Hanofesh, the King Shaul Hotel and the Shirat Hayam Hotel in Ashkelon have been selected by the Defense Ministry to house settlers for up to 10 days following the evacuation.

Among those present will be social workers and psychologists to help settlers deal with the trauma of the move and representatives from the Education Ministry to start the process of registering children for the following school year.

SELA officials will be available to help the settlers fill out compensation forms, although the government has said that settlers who wait to be forcibly removed will relinquish 30 percent of their compensation payment. Lastly, housing officials will be present to move the settlers into different temporary housing options.

The government's plan for temporary housing gives the settlers three options: caravans in Ashkelon, mobile homes in small towns across the Negev and apartments in the Negev region. Construction and Housing Ministry Director-General Shmuel Abuav said it was likely that only the apartment option would remain for settlers who waited to the last minute to leave.

If the government sticks to their word, those who wait will lose 30% of what has been estimated at averaging over $300,000 per family. But at least they will have a nice ten day vacation, and not have to pack their things since the government has movers ready to do that for them as well. If they refuse to pack that emergency bag? Don't worry, the hotels are ready to provide them with those personal items as well.