Housing Minister Herzog
צילום: מיכאל קרמר
Construction of evacuee parks continues
Finance, housing ministers agree on budget to absorb evacuees from Gaza, West Bank in July
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Housing Minister Yitzhak Herzog said Monday building would continue of two caravan parks to absorb evacuees from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank in the summer.
The parks are set be built in the western Negev Desert's Eshkol region, near the town of Sderot.
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved Herzog’s suggestion to transfer millions of shekels to fund infrastructure projects in the two camps.
In addition, the money is meant to fund development projects in three additional towns near the coastal city of Ashkelon - Carmiya, Mavkiim and Bat Hadar.
The money will enable contractors to begin working on infrastructure for the caravan parks, which are scheduled to be completed by July 1.
Each park will house 100 trailer homes.
Will be ready for disengagement
Sources said last week’s proposal to re-create Gush Katif in the Nitzanim region between Ashdod and Ashkelon will not influence the construction of the caravan parks.
Following a tour of Nitzanim last Thursday, Sharon met with Eshkol Regional Council Head Ori Naamti and agreed to continue building 200 caravans in the area.
Naamti told Ynetnews he is unfazed by the Nitzanim proposal; the council would continue to build infrastructure and the housing ministry would continue building the caravan parks, he said.
Naamti added that the parks would be ready in time for the implementation of the disengagement plan, which is set to begin July 20.
The budget will be brought to the government for approval next Sunday.
