Zikim Beach
Plans for new village for Gush Katif evacuees raise objections
A popular beach for southern residents may be turned into a fishing village for residents of expelled Gush Katif residents; while the Nature and Parks Authority is against the idea, the Minister of Agriculture assures that all considerations have been taken into account.
Despite all the public battles over the beaches, the State of Israel is going forward with a project to build a fisherman's village on a wide stretch of the beach.
The area is a protected nature area, and an important breeding ground for sea turtles.
The state wants to allocate the area to the former residents of the fishing town of Dugit which used to be a part of Gush Katif which was evacuated in 2005. The residents of the town were promised that a new fishing village would be created for them.
The project has been managed over the past year by the state, by the "Tnufa" organization – an organization set up to help the residents who were evacuated from Gush Katif – and as of late, the Ministry of Agriculture led by Uri Ariel (Jewish Home).
Zikim Beach (Photo: Roee Idan)
Environmental protection assessments have determined that there are better places to establish the fishing village, and have suggested moving the village to Ashkelon. This solution has been advocated by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
However, a representative speaking on behalf of the former fishermen from Dugit argue that this isn't feasible due to an ongoing conflict they have with the Ashkelon fishermen, something which has previously resulted in police action.
Yedioth Ahronoth reporters asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Israel Police if such a conflict existed, and did not receive any confirmation to this regard. However, inspectors from the National Parks Authority did note that one fisherman was indeed kicked out of the Ashkelon Marina.
Yet, the Ministry of Agriculture is continuing on with the plans to build on the seashore, which, according to the National Parks Authority, is likely to turn into a fisherman's village. Each fisherman is allocated a 300 sq. meter space on the shore from which to launch their fishing boats.
The Nature and Parks Authority is completely against this, but Minister Ariel has approached Minister Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) to help continue the project. Officials in the Nature and Parks Authority are worried that the ministers will approve the construction. The regional planning commission will meet this week to discuss the issue.
"Zikim Beach serves thousands of people from Be'er Sheva, Ofakim, Sderot, Netivot, Ashkelon, and all of the Kibbutzim and Moshavim in the area," said Zikim resident Adam Matan, one of the people leading the fight against the fishing village. "It needs to stay open to the public, not turn into anyone's private estate. We are fighting this."
"I believe that it is of utmost importance for the state to assist the people who were expelled from Gush Katif," Minister Elkin said.
"We'll find the most appropriate solution, taking into account the need to protect the beach and the environment."
Minister Ariel stated that "The State of Israel has yet to deal with the issue of the fishermen from the Gush Katif town of Dugit 11 years after the expulsion... the solution has been formed in coordination with other government ministries, and we have taken all of the relevant considerations into account, including employment, the environment, and human."
On the other hand, Yael Dori from the organization "Adam, Teva, v'Din" said "a country which wants to protect its citizens and natural assets doesn't turn over vast swathes of its few beaches to private individuals. This is a ridiculous idea, and we will fight to have this idea be dropped."
