Disengagement Administration (SELA) head Jonathan Basi said yesterday that between a quarter and a third of the families slated for evacuation from Gush Katif and northern Samaria have contacted the Disengagement Administration. Contact has been through meetings with settler groups, and from through third parties, such as attorneys.
Basi confirmed that over half the settlers were still in denial and were waiting for the Knesset to pass the compensation bill in its second and third readings. Basi made the comments at a press briefing on the launch of the website for the Disengagement Administration (Hebrew only). The site is intended to promote dialogue with settlers in Gush Katif and northern Samaria.
Basi believes that the voluntary evacuation will accelerate in the next three to four months, and he said the Prime Minister's Office and Disengagement Administration were preparing for this.
Settlers evacuating voluntarily can download and sign the necessary forms, as well as arrange advance payments, from Disengagement Administration website. There is no need to go to the Disengagement Administration's offices in person. The website's purpose is to reduce bureaucracy and friction.
The website will enable settlers evacuating voluntarily to work with a single government agency. The forms downloaded from Disengagement Administration website can be returned via e-mail. Basi said, "It's possible to send the forms once, and as soon as the information is verified, we can make the advance payments within weeks."
Figures indicate that the advance payments amount to a third of total compensation, according to Knesset legislation. The advance payment could reach NIS 500,000 in some cases.
The Disengagement Administration website includes information about eligibility, and a calculator for calculating advance payments for those agreeing to voluntary evacuation. The calculator is only for advance payments at this time. A second calculator for calculating compensation will be placed on the website once the Knesset passes the compensation bill that stipulates the compensation terms.
Basi promised that applicants' confidentiality and discretion will be scrupulously preserved. This is a vital issue for the settlers, in order to prevent them being identified.
The current estimated cost of the civilian evacuation from Gush Katif and northern Samaria is NIS 3 billion.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on November 17, 2004