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Last update - 02:08 19/05/2008
Disengagement Authority: Gov't spent NIS 6 billion on settler evacuees
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Disengagement, Sela, Israel

The state has thus far spent over NIS 6 billion on settlers evacuated from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank in August 2005, according to the Disengagement Administration, known as Sela.

This cost, which averages out to NIS 3 million per family, includes direct compensation payments, investment in infrastructure for the evacuees' new communities and social assistance aimed at helping to ease the trauma of the evacuation. In addition, the Knesset recently approved an increase in compensation payments that will total some NIS 640 million.

Sela director Zvia Shimon told reporters Sunday that 1,133 of the 1,400 families evacuated from Gaza have opted to relocate communally rather than individually, and of these, 600 have already received lots on which the necessary infrastructure work has been completed, thus enabling them to start building their new homes.
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But settler leaders pointed out that 1,000 days after the disengagement, almost all the evacuated settlers still lack habitable permanent homes, and most have not yet been able even to start building. The evacuees are planning a protest over this fact Monday.

At the Sela briefing, officials said that about 80 percent of those evacuated from Gaza, or 751 families, will build their new homes in the south - mainly in one of seven new communities or five new neighborhoods of existing communities.

They added that alternative agricultural land has been given to 59 evacuated farmers, of whom 26 have thus far reestablished their farms. This has cost the state between NIS 500,000 and NIS 700,000 per farmer.

But settler leaders charged that 320 of the 380 evacuated farmers have not yet received alternative agricultural lands. This has contributed to an unemployment rate of 22 percent among the evacuees - triple the national average.

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      1.   NIS 6 billion to evict Jews 07:14  |  Johnny Weintraub 19/05/08
      2.   Waste of Money! Money should have went to building more homes! 08:18  |  Baruch Gold 19/05/08
      3.   INCREDIBLE! And the people of Alei Sinai are STILL WAITING 08:44  |  B`Galil 19/05/08
      4.   the bureaucrats spent the money, none went to the settlers 10:31  |  An MD 19/05/08
      5.   Send the settlers to Hollywood 11:25  |  Palestinian in UK 19/05/08
      6.   Why are they spending my tax shekel? 11:26  |  a concerned citizen 19/05/08
      7.   to the MD Sela and its director r honest! 11:29  |  Ami Israel 19/05/08
      8.   Settlement Enterprise was a huge mistake 11:34  |  RW 19/05/08
      9.   Very expensive. 13:19  |  J 19/05/08
      10.   A SOBERING LESSON FOR MOVING 300,000 15:17  |  v ictor hardman 19/05/08
      11.   The money that never was 15:23  |  Mashiach 19/05/08
      12.   Who benifited? 15:32  |  anonymous 19/05/08
      13.   Sell Sycamore Farm of Sharon who sacrificed them 15:35  |  Absolute Sweden 19/05/08
      14.   #7 and naive hope that ignores facts 22:37  |  An MD 19/05/08
      15.   Gov`t spent NIS 6 Billion on settler 17:16  |  Ruth Asfour 07/08/08
      16.   "It could have all been avoided" 18:46  |  Ruth Asfour 07/08/08
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