Settlers may be housed temporarily
Disengagement Office head proposes to temporarily house evacuated settlers in Ashkelon until construction on permanent residence is ready
Has a temporary solution to housing the evacuated settlers been found? Disengagement Office Head Yonatan Bassi secretly met with a number of Ashkelon building contractors on Tuesday in a bid to find a solution to temporarily housing settlers slated for evacuation in the framework of the Gaza pullout.
His proposal includes temporarily housing the settlers in Ashkelon until new permanent communities would be ready for them to relocate.
During the meeting Bassi requested the contractors
promptly provide him with a list of available apartments for rent.
He is expected to visit Ashkelon Thursday.
Second time around
Bassi secretly met with the same contractors more than two months ago, where he first presented his plan to house the settlers in Ashkelon for a maximum of two years.
An official present at the meeting told Ynet that at the time the contractors informed him the proposal was not financially profitable.
"We don't build apartments to rent out and this is not acceptable in Ashkelon," the official said." The moment the apartment is rented out, it immediately becomes a second-hand apartment…it devalues instantly."
Bassi presented his plan once more during Tuesday's meeting, however this time to a smaller group of contractors. He informed them the state would compensate for any money lost due to the apartments' devaluation.
"This offer, of course, is much better, but it is still not financially worthwhile," another official said. The contractors asked for time to examine the proposal.
Meanwhile, Ynet has learned that only one of the contractors, whose project is still in construction stage, agreed to sign Bassi's "rough draft" agreement.
Caravan camp in Ashkelon?
In addition, the Disengagement Office also turned to local hotels in a bid to solve the housing problem.
One hotelier said that while several hotels agreed to the plan on condition Bassi would guarantee occupancy, others refused by saying that certain weekends in the summer were already reserved for large functions.
Another solution examined was the possibility of transferring caravans to Ashkelon. However, the local municipality rejected the idea, saying they did not want a "transit camp of caravans" in the city, even if it would be temporary.
"We are acting to transfer new residents to permanent housing," one senior municipal official said. "We don't want a transfer for a temporary period of time."
Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mahatzri has met several times with settlers and has even proposed to build the two neighborhoods planned for them, similar to their existing settlements.
