Gush Katif Evacuees

Almost two years after Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, the uprooted settlers are still waiting for compensation:

"Almost two years after the disengagement from Gaza, construction of permanent housing has begun at only two of the 26 sites intended for 9,000 evacuees, according to a report by the Gush Katif Settlements Committee...

"Some 1,450 former residents of Gush Katif are still unemployed.

"More than 500 families are in bad financial shape, and some even receive food packages and help from welfare agencies.

"Because of the rampant unemployment, many families are using their state compensation funds for daily subsistence instead of saving it for building a house.

"Only 33 farmers out of 400 have been given alternate lands, and of these, only a handful are back in real business. Those who resumed growing crops face major infrastructure hurdles such as erratic electricity, sewage, drainage, etc."

If you hate the settlement movement, you should still care about this issue, which is steeling the resolve of Israelis living in the West Bank not to sign up for something similar.