Agriculture Minister backs new law to help evacuated Gaza farmers
MK Simhon declares intent to support a bill loosening criteria for settlers to receive compensation.
By Amiram CohenAgriculture 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.
"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.
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Oh, You say that's silly. You say that you can't get yield from farm land that is untilled, unplanted, and that has been converted to bunkers, tunnels, and strewn with burnt tires, glass, and other debris, and occupied by a bunch of fu-- offs? Well gee, maybe it is a bad idea, and some other form of compensation will have to be found.
I thought the writer was referring to the Palestinian farmers whose land was stolen by Israel in 1948 and 1967 (Palestinians driven from their homes by Israel) The so-called "farmers" removed from Gaza in 2005 are nothing but land thieves. They don't deserve a penny's compensation. Criminals shouldn't be rewarded for their crimes.