Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon has argued that the law assigning compensation to farmers vacated from the Gaza strip in 2005 should be altered to ease their financial problems. Simhon's comments came during a tour of the Negev communities where some of the evicted farmers are now living.

Simhon declared his intent to vote for a private bill presented to the Knesset by MKs Uri Ariel and Avigdor Yitzhaki which would both loosen the criteria for receiving damages and in certain circumstances also raise the level of the payout. The bill will soon be raised in the Ministerial Legislative Committee.

Simhon also said that he had approached the Ministerial Disengagment Commitee head and Prime Minister's Office director Ra'anan Dinor regarding the dire situation of the evacuated farmers. According to Simhon, most of the Gaza evacuees are unemployed and some of them are yet to receive promised agricultural land and supplies to enable them to build new greenhouses.

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"The complex bureaucracy involved in applying the legislation is preventing the rehabilitation of the evacuees," said Simhon.

Simhon also announced his decision to appoint former Agriculture Ministry director Danny Krichman to head the project assisting the evacuated Gaza Strip farmers.