Delays in resettling evacuated resident of Gush Katif have cost the Israeli government
roughly $250.9 million so far; any further holdups could mean an additional annual bill of $35.14 million, reveals a new study conducted by Sadan-Lowenthal Consultants group.
The study was commissioned by Professor Ezra Sadan, former director general of the Israeli Ministry of Finance, and Former Deputy Governor to the Bank of Israel Yakir Plessner.
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Twenty-eight months have passed since the disengagement,
and 85% of the families evacuated from Gush Katif still live in temporary housing.
The study further points out that while Sinai evacuees received compensation totaling $500,000 per family, from the government, Gush Katif residents were only given a meager $125,500 each to leave their homes.
This governmental policy, says the study, has ultimately resulted in an economic ‘boomerang effect’ and millions of additional dollars in expenses.
The Study also noted that the government practiced flawed economics in its dealings with evacuees, preferring to relocate entire communities all at once, rather than dealing with individual families and attending to their needs.
This policy led to soaring unemployment on one hand and a major housing crisis on the other.
Compensating evacuees more generously, the study finds, would have allowed them to reestablish their communities quickly and efficiently.
Moreover, the report presented to lobbyists suggests caravan parks might well be home to evacuated residents of Gush Katif for far longer than originally intended.
According to the study, the evacuated residents of Gush Katif are in dire economic straits as well: Some 1,260 residents are still unemployed – out of 3,500 adults currently in the work force – and 500 families are currently receiving public assistance after their financial state had “deteriorated substantially”.
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