Bassi: Evacuees failed to cooperate with State
Former head of Disengagement Authority goes before state commission of inquiry probing status of former Gush Katif residents, says government made every effort to help but 'at that time people didn’t know what they wanted'
The Gaza evacuees shoulder most of the blame for the failures noted in their case, Yonatan Bassi, former head of the Disengagement Authority said Sunday, as the state commission of inquiry into the status of the former Gush Katif residents convened for its first meeting.
The Disengagement Authority was a government body meant to regulate the monetary compensation promised to people who were evacuated from their homes as part of the Israel's 2005 pullout from the Gaza Strip.
The administration was also meant to see to their substitutionary employment and housing needs, but its operations have been criticized from the very beginning.
"We made a tremendous effort to help the evacuees… but as the pullout grew closer, the (Gush Katif) residents and the administration were not communicating," Bassi said.
"This was a very emotional process. You can't forcibly reintegrate people (into society). At that time people didn’t know what they wanted. We made every effort to meet with the residents and with people on the ground.
"Our premise was that we have to find alternatives from everyone. We wanted to talk to the residents before we started building projects."
Bassi said that he did not believe that the views he expressed on the subject of the disengagement alienated the evictees: "The mourning process is always accompanied by anger. People were angry at (former PM Ariel) Sharon and at Yonatan Bassi, but I think were seen as dealing with this (the disengagement) as something legitimate."
He added however that "had the (SELA) administration chief been secular, there would have been less anger."
Bassi said that he was proud to have headed an administration "that operated this way," but stressed that he believes the evictees were not suitably compensated by the state.
"The state owes this to those evicted, it has to bring them back to living productive lives. Regardless of the debate on whether the disengagement was the right thing or not, they made the greatest sacrifice," Bassi said.
Over 1,000 still in temporary housing
Doron Ben Shlomi, chairman of the Gush Katif Settlers Council, presented the commission with information stating that only 60 to 70 families of the 1,800 evacuated from the area, have since been given permanent housing. According to him, 1,200 families are still living in caravillas and the rest are in temporary housing.
"This hearing is nothing to celebrate. It was formed to probe ongoing failure – people are paying the price for the pullout's failures. We expect this commission to bring the matter to an end. Every day that we are not in out permanent housing is costing the state a lot of money," he said.
Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), who pushed for the commission, said he expected it "to settle the score with whoever is responsible for this terrible ruination, both on a national level and a personal one."
The state commission of inquiry is headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Eliyahu Matza. He is joined by Yedidia Stern and Dr. Shimon Ravid.
"We will hear both the evacuees and the people criticized by the state comptroller's report," said Matza. "The idea is to hear everyone."
