Evacuees interrupt Bassi's speech
Gush Katif evacuees interrupt speech of Disengagement Administration Head at Sderot Conference for Society, claiming 'You destroyed everything, you destroyed us'
Disengagement Administration Head Yonatan Bassi, who delivered a speech at the Sderot Conference for Society Wednesday, was continuously interrupted by Gush Katif evacuees who arrived to participate in a panel on the lessons of the disengagement.
Bassi stepped up onto the podium accompanied by a security guard, only after police reinforced the number of security guards in the hall.
In his speech, Bassi admitted that the evacuees' situation was difficult.
"We in the Disengagement Administration know that everyone is grieving and respect those feelings. However, we are doing the best we can in order to help them."
When Bassi tried to talk about the permanent settlements, the evacuees shouted at him that they have not yet received compensation and that some of them do not have an organized place to settle in.
Bassi elaborated on the location of the permanent communities, saying that "This process is difficult and we are aware of the employment problems, because the evacuees have not entered the permanent communities yet. Nonetheless, we have made arrangements to help them with education, for example."
At this stage Bassi was interrupted again by evacuees who shouted "You haven’t done anything. What have you done?"
"You destroyed everything, you destroyed us. You are not taking care of our children. What you did to us is inhuman," they said.
After the interruptions grew louder, some of the evacuees were removed from the hall.
MK Uzi Landau (Likud), who took part in the panel, said that "what is happening with the evacuees is an expulsion, a disaster, a disgrace."
"They took thousands of families that were living their lives and now they are begging for them; they turned off their electricity, their water. And they have no jobs," he added.
Former Shin Bet Chief Ami Ayalon said that "it is unmoral and unwise to send soldiers and settlers to kill and get killed in places in the Land of Israel, which we know will never be a part of the State of Israel."
"It is unmoral and unwise to build houses knowing that they will be demolished, to blur messages and to prefer diplomacy that views people as bargaining chips over statesmanship of clarity and simple words understood by all."
MK Landau spoke about the evacuees' acute distress, saying that even when he was abroad he received phone calls from distressed evacuees.
"It is not only about the personal suffering of these people, but about our human quality as a society, and here there is a lot to be concerned about. I have a difficult problem of faith in the Supreme Court and its decisions," he said.
Evacuees receive good news
In the meantime, the Ministers' Committee on the Disengagement decided Wednesday that 30 families that were evacuated from the Gaza settlements of Nisanit, Dugit and Rafah Yam will settle in the Bustan Hagalil community near the city of Akko.
Each family will receive governmental assistance to build guest rooms and tourism enterprises. The decision was made following pressures by Vice Premier Shimon Peres.
"We must stop the unnecessary bureaucracy, which constitutes an abuse of the evacuees," Peres said in a discussion chaired by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
In addition, the Ministers' Committee approved the establishment of a temporary residence site in the community of Amatzia, which is intended to absorb a group of 65 families from the evacuated settlements of Katif and Neve Dekalim.
The total cost approved by the committee for the residence site amounted to NIS 26 million (about USD 6 million).
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that "there is no doubt that settling the south is of the highest priority, and such steps largely contribute to the development of the area."
Ronny Sofer contributed to the report
