Moving graves out of Gush Katif has been one of the most sensitive topics of disengagement; until now, there's been no agreement and some families have even gone to the High Court to prevent disinterment; however, IDF chief rabbi makes headway with Gush Katif rabbis: Graves will be moved to Nitzan and Jerusalem
Gush Katif - Thirty-one bereaved families reached an agreement Monday whereby their loved ones would be disinterred from the Gush Katif cemetery and moved elsewhere, according a Disengagement Authority source.
There are 49 graves in Gush Katif.
Most of the families will have their dead relatives buried in Nitzan, while another two have chosen graves sites in Jerusalem.
Work has also begun on a military cemetery in Nitzan. Of the 48 bodies, three are IDF dead.
A source involved in the move said that, with the exception of 30 families, "all the rest have refused to have contact with us, the topic is very sensitive, and there many families that began to negotiate but then stopped."
Protecting the Dead
Rabbi: Grave transfer permitted / By Efrat Weiss
Gush Katif graves must be transferred to prevent desecration by Palestinians, rabbi and burial expert tells Ynet
The sources said that, in principle, most families want the graves to be transferred to Nitzan, where the settlers plan to build new homes.
In response, Shlomo Yulis, a Neveh Dekalim resident whose son is buried in the cemetery, said: "I'm not aware of any understanding. I'm opposed to leaving my son's grave and so do many others. There's a petition before the High Court of Justice signed by more than half of the bereaved families who have loved ones buried there."
Meeting of rabbis
The IDF Chief Rabbi, Brig. Gen. Yisrael Weiss, met with rabbis from Gush Katif in an attempt to come to an agreement on moving the graves.
A source in the IDF said the meeting was “positive and significant,” adding that “there was progress made over this sensitive and complex topic.”
In an interview with Ynet last week, Weiss said that some of the families agreed in principle to moving the graves of loved ones to a new location.
Seventeen families whose loved ones are buried in Gush Katif turned to the High Court in an attempt to prevent the moving the graves.
The families said their treatment by the government is “humiliating,” and demanded that the government confer with bereaved families before moving the graves.
RSS
