Disengagement chief Yonatan Bassi met Sunday with Ashkelon Mayor Roni Mahatzri to discuss settling Gaza evacuees in Ashkelon apartments, instead of caravans, following the disengagement this summer.
Mahatzri told Ynet “the establishment of a single caravan will cost the country 50,000 dollars,” meaning it would be more financially sound to provide rent subsidies for evacuees, “even at USD 1,000 a month.”
Several weeks ago the cabinet approved an order of caravans for settlement evacuees.
Preferred option
According to Mahatzri, who opposes a caravan park, by the end of the meeting Bassi acquiesced to Mahatzri's position, saying he would "prefer the option of renting apartments for evacuees to building a caravan park."
In addition to apartments, evacuees will also be housed in a local soldier’s holiday village and a hotel in Ashkelon.
Bassi and Mahatzri focused on finding apartments for evacuees. At first Bassi tried to sell the idea of a caravan park to Mahatzri, to no avail.
“We made our opposition to the plan very clear,” said Mahatzri. “We have already identified 400 second-hand apartments for rent, and city contractors have expressed willingness to rent an additional 100 new ones to evacuees.”
Disengagement Authority representatives say rental prices in Ashkelon have shot up in recent weeks.
Pushing Ashkelon
Also Sunday, the city of Ashkelon launched a website for Gush Katif residents, and in the coming days Gush Katif residents will also receive a personal booklet from the mayor, pushing them to settle in the city and explaining the benefits of choosing Ashkelon over the sand dunes of nearby Nitzanim.
“We just want to put before them all the advantages of Ashkelon, beginning with a school system they won’t have in Nitzanim, a beautiful beach, and a wide range of absorption services.
"I just want to present Ashkelon as a real option," says Mahatzri, "that’s ready for them now. Nitzanim is nothing but a dream at the moment."
