Transfer of graves from Gush Katif
צילום: גיל יוחנן
Pullout disinterment prompts lawsuit
Evacuated Neve Dekalim family sues disengagement authority, IDF officials and State claiming pictures of relocation of grandmother’s grave during pullout were published in media
The Arama family, which was evacuated from the Gaza community of Neve Dekalim as part of last summer’s disengagement plan, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court, claiming to suffer from psychological damage as a result of the relocation of their grandmother’s grave from Gush Katif.
Attorney Asaf Minser, who represents the family, told Ynet: "The family received no mental preparation and no one talked to them before the grave was moved. The only connection with them was through the media or by threats to relocate the grave in the cover of darkness."
The family said that it received a specific promise that the relocation of the graves would not be filmed or exposed in the media and that family representatives received a specific commitment from IDF Chief Rabbi Yisrael Weiss.
"The family was shocked to find out that pictures of Rabbi Weiss and IDF officer Orna Barbivai near the open graves were published in the media despite the explicit promises that no cameras would be allowed and the media would not be informed throughout the process of relocating the graves," the lawsuit said.
‘Mental state began deteriorating’
The lawsuit was filled against Weiss, Barbivai, IDF head of Personnel Directorate Elazar Stern and Disengagement Authority Head Yonatan Bassi. Additionally, the family is suing the Defense Ministry, the Disengagement Authority itself and the State of Israel. The amount of the lawsuit was not mentioned but the maximum amount that could be awarded by the court is NIS 2.5 million (USD 550,000)
The family said in the lawsuit that they had difficult time dealing with the passing of the grandmother but eventually managed to get over it.
“Once we heard of the government plan to open the graves the wounds were reopened, intensified, and the mental state began deteriorating," the lawsuit said.
The suing family even took part in petitioning the High Court ahead of the disengagement plan regarding the relocation of burial sites. Back then a number of settlers claimed that no one bothered to discuss the issue with them prior to the plan’s implementation.
The grandmother's remains were laid by her husband’s grave in a Netanya cemetery.
