Visiting evacuees in Lachish
צילום: צפריר אביוב
Netanyahu promises evacuees solutions 'soon'
Prime minister visits Gush Katif evacuees still living in temporary housing four years after evacuation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gush Katif evacuees Monday, pausing on the way at Lachish to admire its archaeological site.
He told the evacuated children accompanying him, "We have no future without a past. Sennacherib was here, the Babylonians were here; they've left and we remain."
Netanyahu visited the evacuees' temporary lodgings together with the minister responsible for their welfare, Daniel Hershkowitz. He was the third prime minister to conduct such a visit, following in the footsteps of Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert.
Prime minister tours Lachish (Photo: Tsafrir Abayov)
The prime minister listened to the evacuees' complaints and requests, which included the lack of permanent housing for families. He answered, "There will be solutions, and they will be soon."
The data submitted to the prime minister shows that 1,400 evacuated families will live permanently in the Lachish area, but construction has begun in just 35%, or eight, of the permanent communities.
Meanwhile, 85% of the evacuees are living in 18 communities of makeshift housing. Most of them have not yet begun construction on their new homes.
Cutting ribbon of community's girls' school (Photo: Tsafrir Abayov)
Head of the Lachish Regional Council Danny Moraviah told Netanyahu that the arrival of the evacuees had doubled the number of residents in their community. "What's stopping the construction is bureaucracy, officials, and legislators. The money and will exist, but things just aren't moving at the right pace," he said.
Netanyahu also heard from David Hatuel, whose wife and four daughters were killed in an attack on the Kisufim route. For the past four years he has been living with his new wife and two children in a crowded caravan.
"You, sir, are the driver; the wheel is in your hands. For four years we've been sitting here and there is no future here," he told the prime minister. "The test will not be in another investigating committee, but in the construction of our homes."
Speaking to the evacuees, Netanyahu said, "Brothers and sisters, it saddens and amazes me that things are halted because of bureaucracy. There will be solutions and they will be soon. I am willing to go the extra mile, but I want this thing to end. This will be an end concerning solutions, and an end concerning lawsuits. What happened here is an internal injury within Israel."
Many of the evacuees appeared satisfied with the prime minister's promises, despite having received such promises from other politicians in the past. Many said they would vote for Netanyahu again in the future.
