Cash for settlers leaving Gaza

2004-06-11 09:41

Jerusalem - The Israeli government plans to offer financial incentives, including cash advances, to Israeli settlers who leave the Gaza Strip voluntarily, officials said, in a sign that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to complete much of the pullout well before a September 2005 deadline.

Officials said that many of Gaza's 7 500 settlers are interested in leaving the volatile area, a claim denied by settler representatives who said they'd put up a tough fight against a withdrawal.

Sharon wants to dismantle all 21 Israeli settlements in Gaza as well as four in the West Bank by the end of 2005. Earlier this week, the Cabinet approved the plan in principle, but in a compromise with hard-liners, Sharon agreed to hold a separate vote before taking down settlements.

Starting this August, settlers could begin leaving their homes voluntarily and sign up for compensation. "We agreed that those who want to leave voluntarily will receive advances as part of compensation," Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.

Full compensation would only be paid once appropriate compensation legislation has been passed; the target for which is November.

A senior Israeli official said advances would be paid to settlers who want to leave, but "it's not as if people can stand in line tomorrow and get money."

We want to get on with our lives

Preparations on a compensation package have already begun, officials said. "Hundreds of settlers have turned to us and said, 'The decision has been made. Why should we wait a whole year? We want to get on with our lives,"' a government official said.

Sharon appears to be trying to get as much of his pullout completed as possible before the next Cabinet vote, set for February. This week's vote bitterly divided his government and resignations of hard-liners deprived him of his parliamentary majority.

'They lied to us'

Nissan Slomianski of the pro-settlement National Religious Party said if the report about advance payments is correct, "We have no business being in this government. It means they lied to us."

His party is split over the Gaza pullout. Two of its six members of parliament, including the party leader, resigned from Sharon's government, but the other four, including Slomianski, elected to remain for now to try to torpedo the plan from within.

The timetable gives settlers until September 1, 2005 to leave voluntarily. Those who don't leave on their own would be removed forcibly by September 15, 2005.

It is unclear how many Gaza settlers are ready to leave. Many of them are ideologically committed to keeping the land and have pledged to put up a fight.

"Everyone who thinks that they will buy us with money is going to have a very big surprise," said Yigal Kirshenzaft, who lives in Neve Dekalim. "When they come to remove us, they will be surprised at the strong resistance."

- AP