Last update - 00:00 30/08/2007
Evacuation of Bnei Atarot held up by dispute with IAA over hotel fees
By Zohar Blumenkrantz, Haaretz Correspondent
The evacuation of 70 families from Moshav Bnei Atarot suffering from noise pollution from Ben-Gurion Airport is being delayed due to disputes over hotel fees for the families the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) is expected to pay.
The Environmental Protection Ministry ordered the families be moved to hotels after it was found that noise from aircraft passing over the community has reached unbearable levels since construction work at the airport led the IAA to shift all flights to a temporary route passing directly over the moshav.
The IAA allocated $120 per night for each couple, and said the residents could pick their hotels. However, the residents found that a reasonable hotel room in the center of the country was impossible to find at this price.
A hotel in Kfar Maccabiah, which was considered as an option to house the residents, costs NIS 800 per night for a couple over the weekend ? some 60 percent more than the amount allocated.
Starting early next week, the residents will be forced to move to a hotel in the center hand-picked by the IAA, which will pay for the rooms and breakfast each day. The residents who choose to move to hotels can do so until October 30, when the construction at the airport is expected to finish.