Settlers offer ‘evacuation deal’
In a dramatic turnaround, Gaza settler leaders say they will evacuate their homes voluntarily if government agrees to relocate all of them to Nitzanim area in the South; Sharon, settlers to discuss the initiative Tuesday
TEL AVIV - Dramatic reversal: for the first time, the Gaza Beach Regional Council says it is willing to call on area residents to evacuate their homes voluntarily, but the offer comes with strings attached.
Settlers are conditioning the move on a deal that would see all evacuees relocated to the Nitzanim area, between the southern towns of Ashdod and Ashkelon.
“If Sharon’s bad plan is indeed implemented, Gush (Katif) residents must all move together to the Nitzanim area,” an official Regional Council statement said.
The scheme calls for 7-10 new communities to be established in the Nitzanim dunes to replace of the 21 existing Gaza settlements.
Nitzanim: cool to idea
For their part, Nitzanim officials were cool to the possibility of absorbing 1,000 new families, saying the settlement has a "delicate mix" of religious and secular residents, and that the addition of 1,000 mostly secular Gaza settlers coud alter that balance.
“It could very possibly turn Nitzanim into a non-religious community,” said Ehud Reich, director of the economics department of the Ashkelon Regional Council.
Simhon: last virgin dunes
Environment Minister Shalom Simhon said Tuesday he obects to the plan because it would damage the last untouched dunes along Israel’s southern coast.
In addition, past plans to develop the area have met with protests by environmental organizations. Part of the area is a nature reserve.
'We hope Sharon accepts this request'
Tuesday, settler leaders were expected to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to present the plan.
“We ask to stay together in order to maintain the amazing human mosaic we forged over 30 years,” said one settler official .
Regional Council Deputy Chairman Itzik Ilia estimated Monday night that about 1,000 of the 1,600 families residing in the area back the revolutionary initiative.
“We hope the prime minister will indeed accept this request,” the Council said.
-Guy Mei-Tal, Zvi Zinger, Attila Somfalvi, and Efrat Weiss also contributed to the report
