Each Gaza evacuee family to get NIS 1.5-2 million in compensation

Whether you supported the settlement in Gaza or not, whether you supported the evacuation or not, these are REAL people who were doing the governments WISHES by moving to Gaza. Now they are real people with severe depression, messed up kids, and little hope for the future. This is the LEAST we can do. I'm PROUD to have my tax money go to this important cause. You should all be ashamed of yourself! "Don't criticize another man until you have walked in his shoes..."

"ethnically cleanse Palestine." Arabs ethnically cleansed every single Jew from land they captured in '48. The Arab population in Israel stayed ~18% as our population's grown from 800,000 in '48 to 7 million today. Meanwhile, we'll be glad to sit down and discuss compensation for refugees when Arabs sit down in bilateral discussions that also include the 800,000 Jewish refugees from Arab lands. The idea that you ignore facts and then claim your fantasy must be right shows that you are living the anti-semitic stereotype perfectly. Congratulations.

"Published figures reflect what the left-wingers would like the rest of Israel to believe" is the old "any fact I don't like must be ignored" method of ranting used by Walid and the other anti-semites. I suggest you go to http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/827028.html and check out the url there. If you're calling a complete list of all casualties, posted by th GoI as Left wing propaganda, you're truly beyond hope.

"The Peace to End All Peace" and other books that speak to Arab immigration here. As long as you keep refusing reality, it's awfully funny when you accuse me of "ranting." Meanwhile, to repeat another item you never address about "Palestinians" and "generations", you never respond when I ask why UNWRA found it necessary to define a refugee completely different than everywhere else in the world. They said it's just someone who's been here two years, '46-8. Another fact you can't address. Stay on the private site, you're safer there and can avoid facts.

I don't think you'll get anywhere's near that sum. It's over $40 MILLION DOLLARS. The U.S. isn't posting that much a reward for Bin Ladin & Zawahiri COMBINED.

PLEASE EXPLAIN ??? THEY DONT APPEAR IN MY BOOK OF ENGINEERING ?? ARE THEY PUTTING SOMETHING IN NEW YORK WATER THESE DAYS ??

Gabe1, I wager that not a single Gaza settler enjoying his house-and-garden, with the Pals working his hothouses for a pittance, was ever motivated by putting his life on line for anyone.

Gabe1, your responses to my posts regularly reveal your knowledge about illicit goings-on in TA, which are ridiculously inappropriate for this septuagenarian granny. At least the grandchildren are highly amused.

How much did the displaced Palestinians receive when Israel began to ethnically cleanse Palestine in 1948? Looks like the American taxpayers are once again subsidizing Israel for their war crimes. It's always about the money. Talk about playing into the ethnic stereotype. Quit whining when your own actions betray you.

"Just someone who thinks rationally and appreciates what these people have done" Gabe, So you appreciate what these settlers have done? Living off the fat of Palestinian land and out of Israeli and American pockets and attacking their neighbors? Let's have your address so when the Palestinians kick them out--we can redirect them to you. Dutch

West bank Palestinian to about to be, (justifiably) ousted illegal settler,"Go West my son, go West.

Interesting choice of words...Was it not the Arab armies that rejected peace and invaded Israel in 1948? Did they not encourage the indiginous arabs to flee so the Jews could be slaughtered and then they could come back to reclaim their homes? I agree that perhaps some compensation is in order for some of the displaced peoples, I do want peace in the region and do sympathize with those on the Pal side that want to abandon bloodshed and live in peace with Israel. That being said however, before I start any "campaigns" to raise money for these people, I would like to know who on their side is ready for a just settlement to the conflict. In Israel there is a clear "peace camp". There is much support for an end to the conflict. Palestinians are represented by terrorists and sympathathizers of terror. To help someone, they have to want to be helped themselves. I am not going out of my way to help people that would like to see my family blown up while eating at a restaurant

Dead on. the money should be going to the real "Victims" and not these opportunist and criminal settlers who obviously did not care enough about their childrens future. No sympathy here.

Where is your brain. They never should have been there in the first place.Look at it that way and you will be better able to get over it.

You can't buy peace when no one is selling... Infact it's generally a bad idea to try. As you will create a market for it. Whereby demand is generated by those who can disrupt peace. Case in point is Tripoli vs USA. Tripoli was a renegade state that supported piracy. Any nation that wanted safe shipping had to pay a tithe to the king (sultan) of Tripoli. At one point it became so expensive that it was costing the USA half it's tax revenue. War turned out to be cheaper. The USA initiated the conflict, Great Brittan finished it. The market for selling peace was closed down, because the cost of entry (going to war with western powers) was too expensive. What may be a better way is to go in the other direction. Instead of dismanteling Judea and Samaria, why not go full steam ahead. Seek out investment, build up infrastructure, and encourage business development. More jobs means less reason to be poor and pissed. Kick the UN out, get people of the dole, and keep them busy with real work.

Israel was on the cusp of asking the American taxpapers for $2billion to pay for the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, then the tsunami hit and it never happened but it makes one wonder if this year's US economic package to Israel is paying these egregious payouts--not something our own Katrina victims will ever see.

75 billion dollars wasted so far on settlements that will end up abandoned. Now 2 million NIS apiece for the Gaza settlers. Meanwhile: "According to research commissioned by the Knesset, the number of [Holocaust] survivors living under or around the poverty line in Israel was almost 100,000 in 2003. The number unable to afford to heat and maintain their homes properly was 25 per cent higher... One of them said to me: “Alive, we are a nuisance; dead, we are an asset. They just want us to die as quickly as possible so that they get on with commemorating us lavishly"." Jewish Chronicle, 16 Feb. And: "She suffers from depression, anxiety attacks, a heart condition and osteoporosis. "There are days I don't eat, but I'm used to not eating. My medicines I have to take, though. Where am I supposed to get the money?... But I know other [Holocaust survivors] who have it much worse, who go through the garbage bins for food," she says. "They make a big joke out of us"." JPost, 15 Feb.

I have always been confused as to how settlements in the occupied territories increases Israel's security vs just having the IDF there. What do the settlers contribute to Israel's security that they are so generously subsidized and supported?

and so much ignorance displayed in this talk back. We who know realise that there is NOTHING that will exonerate the Govt for the evacuation of these wonderful people from Gush Katif, and they certainly will not see this "pay off" as comfort - IF it ever comes to fruition. The trauma they experienced cannot be cured with shekels.

More of your Muslim propaganda. U.S. taxpayers provide Israel defensive military aid, which has to be spent on American products. The defensive necessities of Israel are caused by ongoing Muslim terrorism and defense against attacks by Muslim nations. The "aid" to Israel never leaves America. It is just passsed from one American bank to another to pay American companies for the defense products they sell to Israel. Regarding Iraq, American taxpayers have spent billions building schools, medical facilities, agriculture, electric and other civilian infrastructure. Muslim terrorists have attacked, blown up and otherwise destroyed much of the civilian infrastructure work in Iraq that was paid for with American tax dollars. Tell the truth about what Muslims are costing American taxpayers.

I guess those are Israeli Shia shooting Iraqi Sunni. Israel's Jews fled that loonie bin over fifty years ago. Explain howZ Zionists engineered the war. You're one of those who see Zionists in the closet and under your bed.

Get this. You've got what 1.3 million Palestinians. So the occupying government comes in and cordons off territory for military use of for the "general public good". Whatwashed, red rooved villas go up with gardens, pools and extra doses of water. Subsidies are given for people to move there, tax breaks and incentives, as they look over at those kept behind the fence. The government in its desire to entrench their colonies in the rest of palestine, order an evacuation, the colonist scream to high heaven, victims, jews being tossed out by Jews, refugees! Ah, but not really refugees. Their religion saves them and each family receives millions for what they were given and was simply taken away when they were returned to their own country. Go figure.

Perhaps you can compare it to the millions of Iraqis who are refugees because of a zionist engineered war and are getting NOTHING.

Surely, you jest. It seems you've taken leave of the few senses you have left. It's probably the most ridiculos post you've written to-date. There you sit, in the rape Capitol of the U.S., writing a fictional scenario of the impossible delusion. Before there was a Jewish State the Arabs attacked the peaceful Jewish farmers. It started in 1920 at Tel Hai, continued in Hebron in 1929-1936. Of course after the State was declared in 1948, as we all know, the attacks have been incessant. Brave one, gather the bravery to don a skull cap (jewish style) and walk down the streets of Any arab town in Gaza or the West Bank. Be certain to advise your family where you wish to have your body interred. Don't leave it for a judge to decide, as in the case of Anna Nicole Smith,, where to plant your carcass.

The cost to the state is high. Imagine how high it will get when the West Bank is evacuated. One reason for the high cost was that the Gaza evacuation was unilateral. Instead of negotiating a deal whereby the homes left behind will be taken over by well-to-do Gazans, they were destroyed. This should not be repeated. 1. Example: Maale Adumim is a Jerusalem suburb housing some 35,000 Israelis. Why not have East Jerusalem Arabs, who are more affluent than their Palestinian brothers be allowed to buy the homes? The State can subsidize such purchases but the total cost will be much lower than destroying the homes. 2. Allow Pals to move into settlement areas or build a new neighborhood there. The settlers will escape, "white flight", at little cost. 3. Pass a law now to assist every settler wishing to leave. Those who will remain will be the ideologues. Let them get paid little when the time comes. They were induced to settle by Heaven, not the State. Will get due compensation in the next world.

Walid, One thing that you're forgetting that you usually remember. You're assuming that the Israeli govt will keep its promises. My bet is that those evicted from Gaza won't see a tenth of what is promised to them.

"Close to half of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza suffer from malnutrition" UN reports. Pride isn't something any Israeli could possibly feel, or could they?

"Close to half of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza suffer from malnutrition" UN reports. Pride isn't something any Israeli could possibly feel, or could they?

Ayala Ezran get a make over, quite honestly my dear your frightening the children !

"Israelis are clearly safer since withdrawal" I have enjoyed your posts and specifically on that SS site but this post is not worthy of you at all.Qassams raining on Sderot and Ashkelon and a lack of intelligence about Shalit and Israel is safer. Arms pouring in into Gaza and Israelis are safer. In your world Israel was safer in the North after that "withdrawal" and then came Lebanon2 and Israel could not even defend its Northern population but for 6 years Israel was safer. Israel and you have never thanked the Gaza expellees for being there for your defence by putting their lives on the line. You and Israel could never thank them for their dedication to the State of Israel and the Land of Israel. But Israel did thank them by kicking them in the teeth , making them homeless and refugees and in general turning their lives and beliefs upside down. And No I am not a religious fanatic or even religious. Just someone who thinks rationally and appreciates what these people have done.

Israel has been manipulated into giving up two strategic buffers- the Sinai and Gaza. Giving up the Sinai opened up Gaza to terrorists. Giving up Gaza opened up Israel itself to terrorists. Israel's government bought into the Oslo Psychosis and the Roadmap to War. Israel will eventually pay a much greater price for giving up the Sinai when Mubarak croaks and the Egyptians tear up that worthless piece of paper we signed with them. The Arab Muslims are already hard at work building the largest terror base in the world in Gaza, thanks to Israel's abandonment of the Philadelphi corridor and our loss of intelligence gathering ability our presence in Gaza provided.

Israel's left-wing bought into the Oslo Psychosis and the Roadmap to War for years. Sharon and Omri needed to be bailed out of their own financial shenanigans so Sharon distracted gullible Israelis with the Gaza pullout fiasco. Sharon and his Kadima buddies diverted the IDF for two years training them to attack Jews in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. Israel's government wasted two years training her soldiers to attack Jews residing on LIBERATED land, rather than training them to defend Israel from our true enemies, the Arab Muslim terrorists. The settlers did not request that the IDF be trained to attack Jews and destroy Jewish communities. Israel and her illustrious left-wing produced these brilliant blunders.

PLEASE DETAIL HOW THEY STOLE ARAB RESOURCES ?? WHAT THEY STOLE AND FROM WHOM ??? IGNORANCE IS CLEARLY NOT BLISS

I was too kind calling some of you piranhas for the way you are talking about the Jews of Gaza; I should have said barracudas. These Gaza Jews did not use the state to extort money out of the state, it was the state using them as pawns in its long term plans. Almost a full year before the actual pullout, it was being discussed by high Israeli officials that the Gaza pullout would be a stunt to guarantee the presence of the other Jews on the West Bank. It was a decoy move by Sharon as when the pullout was in progress, the expansion of the wall and the settlements were going ahead full steam with Sharon's consent while attention was being focused on the kicking and screaming Jews of Gaza. These pawns were no longer needed in Gaza which was a lost costly cause for Israel and were sacrificed for the sake of the 200,000 settlers of the West Bank that would remain there after a final settlement and you guys should be thankful to them.

It is totally insane. Working as a foreigner here, I have been many times asked to take part of all kinds of charity occasions with the donations -which I have done. Last time I gave money for the childrens hospital (many of them cancer patients).Now, I am wondering why I should do it.IfIsrael can afford to give money to the people,who have illegaly lived on the area where they have been protected by the big money (all the expences)and at the same time the seriously sick children need money to keep them alive.Most of those nurses who take care of these children,are obliged to work at least 20 years to get the money to have a home worth of 1 million shekels -just to compare!

"Either way, PalPal, there will be a problem in proving who walked away and who was chased away and it will be a tough one." Hi Walid, The circumstances under which a person leaves his house is IRRELEVANT when it comes to establishing ownerships or property rights. German Jews are demanding, and getting, the smallest of their properties! Even a painting that once hung in their living room and got bought many times by different buyers did not stop them from re-claiming it as their own - of course with the help of the legal system! Don't let anyone con you into believing that because you "ran away" or "started a war" that this automatically deprives you of your property. These arguments are used extensively by people who don't wish to see Palestinian refugees return to their internationally recognized homeland and property. Such arguments don't, and should not be allowed, to justify the fate of Palestinians. Take care.

PalPal, you misunderstood me. I did not at all imply that there would be a set-off between the two people. These are 2 distinct problems and I was simply identifying them. Palestinians have absolutely nothing to do with Moroccans who left Morocco under any circumstance. Israel only has to deal with the displaced Palestinians but by the same token, the Moroccan Jews have to be dealt with by Morocco only. Either way, PalPal, there will be a problem in proving who walked away and who was chased away and it will be a tough one. In Lebanon, our claim is that most of the Jews were either enticed or coerced by the Zionist movement to leave since the majority left a long time after 1948 a few when Arafat was riding shotgun over Lebanon

I dont have any pitty for the illegal settlers, none. Your empathy for them only shows your one sided thoughts about the struggles of those who live in Palestine. What about the TRUE Palestine people that are DAILY DISPLACED and their homes distroyed by Israel. Where is their compensation???? ILLEGAL means JUST THAT....squatters on land that they KNOW doesnt belong to them in the first place. Now they are being paid for their illegal actions.

Where do you get your "facts"? I immigrated and got five months in an ulpan, paying a symbolic rent, thank you. Someone waived the import tax on my motorcycle, thanks again. Beyond that, I got nothing free, cheap, or subsidised. Maybe they're doing it differently now.

Let those who supported the disgusting and utterly stupid destruction of Gush Katif and expelling its Jews pay the bill. Like Meirav Arlozoroff. When you supported Sharon's plan, you know it will cost a lot of money, so why are you surprized now? And I hope the price of compensation will grow. They, the Jews of Gaza, robbed, betrayed and humiliated deserve much more. On the positive side, remember, we will return to Gush Katif!

Even when the settlers were in Gaza, Kassams were landing in many places. We dismantled settlements in SInai when we signed the Peace Treaty with Egypt.Then why keep buffer in GAZA against the Egytian , in fact they should have been dismentled at the same time, altogether. Be reasonable Yakov, when they were there it was because everything were subsidized. They were not conscripted to go there, they move there on there own accord.

Not being in the vanguard of defence or even with your life on the line: YOU CAN BE BRAVE. The only threat is from the Police when you go for your daily hit. But with the corrupt police even that is minimal. You are MA CHERIE the chicken and the feed as you did not have the guts to do what the Gaza settlers did. Gobble gobble Motek.

After fourty years of stealing the Palestinian resources they get compensated and not the Palestinians.

THAT IS WHY THEY WERE EVACUATED . THAT IS WHY PEAFCE WITH ARABS IS A NEVER NEVER !!

getting the bill? Israeli or American tax payers? Settlers who resettle in the west Bank shouldn't get a penny and no double dipping.

Yakov. They didn't buffer us against Egypt, Gazans, or kangaroos from Sinai. That was the job of Tzahal and tied up thousands of soldiers who should have been training for a war against Hisbullah. Your settlers caused our failure in Lebanon.

"David Teich, I would go along with an equal compensation for Jews who lost their homes in Arab countries but there is a major problem:" Walid, how can you go along with equating Palestinians who left their home during a war and out of fear for their life? International law defines such people as refugees who are entitled to return to their homeland once the hostilities stop. If Jews left Morroco for whatever reason, why should Palestinian refugees pay for that? Let those Jews demand compensation from Morroco! Would David Teich accept the argument that if I steal his car then we are even because a Jewish person in New York stole my car??? Where is the logic in what you guys are saying? If a person has a claim, then that claim should be directed at the concerned party. No court of law would accept your arguments - and you both know it!

Very unrewarding for Jewish nation unless like kassams and terror camps and armed militia. Palestinian action have shown they have no desire to build society, just to wage war for the destruction of Israel. Terrorist government elected by terror supporting population. Only complaint is West is not throwing money at Pals in support of their Jihad. To have destroyed the lives of 10,000 good souls who built tremendous agriculture and communities on the empty sand dunes of Gaza was wrong and a great cost to Jewish Nation. Right of Return to Mecca needs to be implemented.

How about compensating the ethnically cleansed Palestinians first? Doesn't necessarily have to be a 'pay-off' like the Gazans (and the Westbankers in the future) -- just a reasonable amount within the US aid limits. Perhaps a support campaign in Cdn for the oppressed people of Palestine is also a helpful suggestion.

Oh dear, if so, I'm packing off tonight to get to some West Bank kibboutz and to become a WB settler by the end of tomorrow! Just kidding. In my opinion if that what it takes to get the get settlers heck out of the WB and plant their hothouses in Negev, Israel should pay this price. Provided that no new settler starting from today will get a shekel in exchange of his removal from the territories. Israel is paying and is accepting to pay in the future far bigger price of human lives - Israelis ones too - for this folly of the few. Materially the price includes the Separation Wall with all its vicious loops costing more than the settlements they circumspect, let alone the fates of Palestinian peasants. I would rather the recipients of these "compensations" to benefit also from the aliah immigration monetary package and the flowers at expense of Jewish Agency, for returning from Galut. Welcome back home! Israeli Absorption Law applies even to the criminals.

David Teich, stop ranting long enough to realize that the 70 sq km are not where Jews lived but where Palestinians had been living for generations. I'm not debating what happened inside Jerusalem with the Jews who were probably chased out as you said. These 70 sq km were annexed by Israel because they considered their owners as residents of "enemy" West Bank and under the law of absenteeism, Sharon annexed these 70 sq km, then declared them part of the green zone and later gave most of these to new Jewish settlers. The rightful Palestinian owners never left Jerusalem but their civil registry purposely declared them as West Bankers to steal their land under this law. Israelis living on the West Bank with property in Israel are not subject to this horrible law of theft. Don't get me going on your thievery.

They moved in with nothing. They got grants, gifts, priviledges, all kinds of support. Their homes, businesses, schools, etc. are not THEIRS. They're OURS. Their "nothing" has really blossomed. Let them dry their tears, say "thanks, you gave us a good life for a while" and make a new start.

How much did we spent for their security while they were in Gaza.???IDF, Police,IAF , Bulldozers(uprooting, Destroying, Flatening etc.)building settlements. Etc)

Why do you people make it sound like the Gaza settlers are the only ones that seem to be getting something (BIG) for nothing? Let's face it, everyone of us who made Aliyah also got something in the form of government subsidies for new immigrants - cheap homes, cheap land, subsidized mortgages, top of the line infrastructure, subsidized education, subsidized medical care, etc, etc. We are all "winners" of one form or another! So, if we all got something for nothing, do we have to be rocket scientists to figure out that SOMEBODY out there paid for all these benefits? Yes, there is no such a thing as a free lunch. Somebody paid dearly for your "lunch", and someday the chickens will come home to roost.

because Gaza is still occupied in many, many ways. So is the occupied West bank, so is the occupied Golan heights , and so is the Sheba Farms. SECURITY/SAFETY of Israel depends on pulling back to the armistice line (Green Line, the pre 67 War) NOT by ILLEGALLY settled in other people's lands. Once everything is setlled to the benefits of EVERYBODY concerned, Peace will come to the Holy Land and everyone will live happily.Bye spy, keep on doing a good job there.

You and Esther both sit far from the front lines, sniveling, whining and bellyaching. Published figures reflect what the left-wingers would like the rest of Israel to believe about the stupidity of abandoning Gaza and the rest of the Oslo Psychosis Roadmap to War.

They are the real victims. They are the only true victims here.

David Teich, I would go along with an equal compensation for Jews who lost their homes in Arab countries but there is a major problem: The Jews say that many Arabs left on their own from encouragement to do so by the neighbouring countries who had promised them a short exit before they would return, therefore requiring no compensation and the Arabs say that many Jews packed and left Arab countries on their own from the effort of the Zionist movement encouraging them to come "home" to Israel to pack the land with Jewish inhabitants and therefore requiring no compensation. Since it is evident that nobody is telling the truth in both cases, this is going to be a very tough one to solve. I still believe that those who were really chased out should be compensated.

change their nationality and take that of the new state of Palestine, and Syria, after all this is GOD'S land but in somebody else hands. May be, mind you, that the State of Palestine and that of Syria will OFFER them compensation to to go and live outside their countries., as many of our politicians suugested doing to ISRAELI ARABS.Pay them to get out. This will obviously saves us lots and lots of money.

Gee, golly, be sure not to look at the real statistics about safety of Israelis that I posted on http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/827028.html Israelis are clearly safer since withdrawal, even with the increase in rocket attacks. While we certainly do need to do something to help Sderot, it can be done without the loss of live regularly incurred before withdrawal. They were never a front line against Egypt, but a religious statement against Arabs. We have thanked them, multiple times. It's time they accept the thanx given and move on rather than asking for handouts for life.

they should have never go & live in an Occupied territory(Gaza).Some of them even now, are looking forward to go and live in another Illegal (West Bank)settlement of MASKIOT. What the sence of it ? "once bitten...."" learning from one's mistake.......", means nothing, you would have think they will DEMAND a better place to live within Israel proper. You see David ,There must be some good incentives to move about?

She gets millions of dollars per year and you have to haul cow dung on your donkey cart 365 days out of the year. Hey, I feel for you man. Call her up...she lives in a lavish estate in Pariiiiis.

i hope your entire message to me was contained in the 'subject' box, because i, like so many others here, refuse to read your screaming posts.

Your comments are said like a jealous, whining, resentful harpie. Those Gaza settlers moved in as a front line against further Egyptian incursions into Israel. For decades their risked their lives and their families to provide a buffer for the rest of Israel, including Tel Aviv, against attacks from Egypt and Arab Muslims in Gaza. Since the Gaza settlers have been moved out, we are taking the hits in Ashkelon and Sderot, including several kassams in Ashkelon today. Of course, the left-wing papers are down-playing the seriousness of the situation due to "political correctness". You should thanking those Gaza settlers for their years of service to Israel, instead of whining and belly-aching.

I suppose they are saving the country huge money in IDF services but they are already hugely better off than had they just stayed and become Gazans. Peace. Steve

for some good welfare programs for the benefits of A L L Israeli citizens. So far it's going to cost the State of Israel , some NIS 6500.000.000( Billion) and what is amazing is that there are actually BILLS PROPOSAL that will SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE THE COMPENSATION to be paid, Probably by another NIS 3000.000.000."3 Billions" At the end of it all, we are talking about a Nice litlle sum of nearly NIS 10.000.000.000. of money that could have serve us all, in may ways. Why on earth did we allow ourselves into getting into this problem.,in the first place? Each Gaza settler is now likely to cost us all some NIS 3.600.000 ++ (more to come cost) each. No wonder that some of them want to go and live in the next illegal settlement of Maskiot(WEST BANK). Hoping that our politicians will help to avoid these unnecessay waste of our Precious NIS. BILLIONS.

Israel, especially the left-wingers behind the Gaza debacle, should pay the price of Jew fighting Jews. Arab Muslims have not been able to destroy us from without, but they can destroy us from within by divide-and-conquer. Jew against Jew is the one sure method of destroying Israel and her Jews. Israel must pay the price for the abomination of her government turning the IDF against Jews and destroying Jewish homes, businesses, and families.

"70 sq km of Jerusalem`s Palestinian lands confiscated without payment." Oh, you mean the land confiscated when the Arabs ethnically cleansed all Jews, destroyed hundreds of synagogues and used Jewish tombstones as paving and construction material? Yeah, that land. It's sad that Walid and his ilk blindly support the idea of Dar al-Islam, where land conquered is not Muslim and nobody else has the right to own it, certainly not the original folks. Meanwhile, are Hashemites living on land always legally owned by them in Jordan? Allawi's in Syria? Look to the US, where the Supreme Court said that Tories who fled during the Revolution lost their rights. Or look at the 50 million other refugees in '45-50 who never had the "invented" rights Walid claims for the Pals. Since he believes Muslims are special and Israel shouldn't exist, he's ok with that kind of major hypocrisy.

Miri, you wouldn't move to the West Bank and Gaza because of security concerns and that was your right and your call. Couldn't you get a larger apartment for the same price by moving a little further away? Those now in the walled-in ghettos of the West Bank and those living on the northern border under the threat of katyushas aren't much better off than you are but just living in more spacious accommodations. You would want their comforts but at no risk. The people of Gaza were put there for a purpose by the government and the purpose ended. You shouldn't be holding it against them.

There were ~470,000 Arab refugees from ISrael caused by the Arab war. There were ~800,000 Jewish refugees from Arab lands as a result of the Arab wars. If you're willing to sit down and have a commission to figure out mutual compensation for all those refugees, sure, it'd be a good idea. However, since you well know the Jews would be owed much more money, you Arabs will never do so. Rather, you should spend your time demanding the Arabs take care of you the way the Jews took care of our refugees. however, that would take honesty, so I don't expect that of you.

I am Rufegee, I left my town Beit Givreen in 1948, The Israeli obliged my family -as whole palestinians who left their contry because of occupation. I cannot accept any Billions as a subsitution for my coountry, disbite that the israeli inforce us to leave our country. Whou much the israeli should pay as per calculated for sittlers (per year, etc.) I think they subsitute the rong people, while the right people should be compensated by RETURNING all of them to their Villages and Cities in the area of 1948.

LIKE SO MANY WHO WRITE TOTAL CRAP TO POST YOU ARE NO EXCEPTION . LET US USE THE FIGURES THAT EXIST TO RESETTLE 8000 PEOPLE FROM GAZA HAS TAKEN 2YEARS IF WE ASSUME 40 TIMES THAT NUMBER THATS 80 YEARS TO RESETTLE THE JUDEA AND SAMARIA INHABITANTS . THIS OF COURSE IS EXAGGERATED BUT TO BUILD ANEW TOWN AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS PROBABLY AT LEAST 5-10 YEARS . EVEN IF THIS IS SPREAD OVER THER WHOLE OF ISRAEL TO OBTAIN LAND AND BUILDING PERMISSION IS AT LEAST 2-3 YEARS . THEN TO BUILD EVEN IN THIS SHORT PERIOD WILL REQUIRE LARGE NUMBERS OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS WHO ALSO NEED HOUSING IN THE CONSTRUCTION TIME !!

(with several duds in it as far as I could see) and leave things beyond your grasp to others. For your info,"illegal settlers" are more legal than the arab interlopers.

A fair share of the evacuee outrageous payment should be given to each family who lost a son, daughter, or father protecting the settlers in Gaza. A fair share of the outrageous payment should be given in the form of a tax rebate to each and every Israeli family whose taxes supported the settlers. Question, how many of these settlers would have chosen to live in Gaza if the Israeli Government had not offered the perks, etc.??? Lastly, a fair share of the outrageous payment should be given to the IDF to compensate for the years guarding the Gaza evacuee.

?

Murray, don't worry, we already got used to our "harris paul" and his little capital letter tick... Although I would doubt it very much that he has some problems with his eyes, as some here have suggested, otherwise he wouldn't be able to regularly pull to pieces the contents of my posts... But whatever his reasons are, we should be a bit open-minded, everybody has it's own style...

with about 269,000 west bank settlers, the compensatory bill, ceteris paribus, to remove them comes to about $96 billion. a bond issue maturing in the year 2100 should cover the cost.

Thanks to all those posters who write in CAPITALS. It makes it particularly easy to skip their posts - if they go out of their way to make their posts difficult to read, that's fine: I won't take the trouble to read them. Moreover, as my eye passes briefly over the titles in capitals I get the impression that not reading these posts may have other things to be said in its favour...

It's not too many Israelis who would say publicly what you just said. I admire you! All the best for the future, and I hope that soon enough that one-room apartment will grow into something bigger!

The compensation packages should not be increased. What is not said here is the fact that the majority of those in Gaza choose to be there, they wanted to live in Gaza. Living in Gaza is not a choice you made likely.Add to this the very high cost of protecting them, our sons and daughters, the military might and national budget that went into that machine, their living standards were always dependant on the IDF and national taxes. No more compensation should be added. Enough has been done. We all make choices on where to live, usually it does not effect the entire country, national budget, or require the lives and protection of our children. Maybe it will be a difficult transition but it it nothing none of us have been through in different ways.

Paul, it's not yours, that's the point...

So ,I live in a one bedroom apt with my husband and two children, yes it is crowded, we only have 1 bathroom, but when we immigrated here from the States that was all we could afford. I didn't consider moving toGaza or the West Bank out of safety concerns,but I know We could have had a beautiful house there. Those that moved there knew that someday they might have to evacuate the area, so they lived the high life for a while at our expense, now they need to get over it, come into the real world, and get a place they can afford, and get jobs. IF I can go from a 2 bedroom apt in Florida to living in an old 1 bedroom apt with my family of 4 so can the settlers!

Some compenstion for Palestinin property would havbe made a big difference to the lives of Palestinians and their feeling that they lost out bigtime. It ouwld have made it much eqsier to settle elsewhere, or to accomodate themselves to what happedn in 48. It's not too late for Israel to try adn give compensation - this tiome in the form of financial help and prohects for the Muslim world - who do evidently need financial help.

Josh Goldman, why are the settlers who had been practically paid to go to Gaza and live there for decades under military protection and other incentives be now considered by you as "criminal settlers". What is so different about these settlers from the ones now living on parts of the 70 sq km of Jerusalem's Palestinian lands confiscated without payment and handed over by the Israeli government to those Jews that built homes and are now living there? I see you are in Jerusalem, Mr. Goldman, can you tell us if you are living on lands that have always belonged to Jews, since there are undoubtedly a lot of those in Jerusalem, or if you are living now on lands stolen from Palestinians? You are being very unfair to Gaza Jews.

YOUR FIGURES ARE AFEEBLE JOKE . WE ARE TALKING $1.3 TRILLION AND 5-10 YEARS !! IT WILL NEVR HAPPEN .

Esther, we live in a materialistic world. If the government would not have facilitated their entry into Gaza and provided armed escort by thousands of soldiers, these fortune hunters, as you consider them, would not have risked it. In a previous post, someone mentioned the giveaway programs for those that accepted to live at the frontline Sderot and now at Kiryat Shmona. The 300,000 people now living on the West Bank did not simply go there, as you say, for religious reasons but for cheap costing lands practically donated by the government that had grabbed it for free and having paved for them private secure roads, fences and other security apparatus as well as the required infrastructure. I cannot blame the individual Israeli for having jumped on that offer if he could not afford regular housing in Israel proper. The government is the guilty party in both places and should have provided the same incentives for other available places like in central and northern Galilee and the Negev.

1. They would have to sign a letter, where they are promising to spend the rest of their life in the pre 67 borders of Israel, the same would have to apply to their children and grandchildren. 2. They would have to promise to never again dress in an orange T-shirt. That should be fair enough.

Esther, you can buy a 250m cottage with garden and everything in the Galilee or in the Shfela for lower price than an 90m appartment in Tel-Aviv. Your comparison is unfair. If you think, that these people are soo rich, please visit them and see by yourself. You'll be surprised...

Walid, a large proportion of Gaza settlers were there for materialistic reasons, not idealistic concerns. Moreover the brunt of the danger was borne by the young IDF soldiers, many of whom were killed or maimed in defence of the settlements.

Calm down all you critics. Compensation per family includes value of businesses, farms, hot houses, shopping plazas, factories, infrastructure. Compare to the net value of State of Israel's land based assets divided by the number of families and we're probably undercompensating evictees. Don't forget to add costs of move and deduct loans for destroyed houses, farms, businesses, costs of eviction etc. Forget your politics for a second and the evictees may have a very good claim. Matters such as these require calm heads and more serious consideration.

People like to appear patriotic while have other alterior motives. When Sdirot was declared a frontline city and qualified for many governmental benefits, the Interior Ministry noticed an increase in the number of "address change requests" and the new destination was ... tram!!! Sdirot! The same observation was made during last summer's war, but the new destination was Kiryat Shmoni which suffered the most at the time. Soon after the government declared its intention to pull out of Gaza and about compensations to the settlers, many people started moving into Gaza! That's why the compensation are prorated depending on the length of time a settler "lived" in Gaza. Yes, money has a way of changing people's values. Just look at our government!

Whoever said that 'crime doesn't pay'??? The criminal settlers from Gaza and our appalling government clearly prove them wrong. In Israel crimes pays and it pays BIG.

Israelis are being unfair and envious of Gaza Jews because of the millions flying in the air. Not being considered, is that these Jews were actually encouraged and enticed by favourable government grants and exemptions to move into Gaza to fulfill the government's political agenda, which was the establishing of "facts on the ground" for future considerations and to have Gaza act as a buffer zone, like Egypt had done. These settlers should be considered for having served a military purpose and having lived there at the risk of their lives to further Israel's designs on the region and should not be spat on by the rest today. You are like piranhas in treating them like the Americans treated their returning Vietnam soldiers. Blame the government instead.

I don't understand why there has to be any cost to the Israeli government at all. Israel can just withdraw -- announce that its troops will no longer cross this line or that line. Israelis in the West Bank can stay or go, as they prefer. After all, I'm sure they can count on their Palestinian neighbors to treat them with the same friendliness and courtesy they themselves have displayed over the years. Maybe the Palestinians will even come over and help with the harvest as the settlers so famously do now. Take nature walks with them. Kindly shepherd their children to school as Jewish settlers now shepherd Palestinian children to school... What's the problem? Does anyone feel the settlers would have reasons to fear for their safety? The Palestinians are just people. I'm sure the settlers would get what they deserve at their hands.

i really have tears coming to my eyes when i hear that settlers are getting payed so much money because they left gaza , while the palestinians of gaza are still suffering in poverty - this is totaly disgusting

1) The families have already been paid $300k per (more than 1.2 million nis per family) 2) Their house prices in Gaza were subsidized 3) Their mortgages were subsidized 4) Their wages were subsidized If they haven't paid off their mortgages, and I've not seen any statistics on that, it's because they chose not to. It's time they quit whining and learned to live as regular Israelis must.

Lessee. NIS 1.5 million per family times maybe a hundred thousand families... Oh, you mean it was only paid to JEWISH families. It would be funny if some slip was made in wording the regulations. Wouldn't want that to happen.

David, most average middle-class folk in Israel repay morgages, far more hefty than yours, throughout their lives. And how many of us have had the privilege of ever living in a 250m house with a garden and all amenities?! OK, so you lived it up extravagantly at our expense during your Gaza fantasy years, and now you have to face up to it. It can be an educational experience for your kids. And certainly for you too.

Simple solutions. Stop stealing land that does not belong to Israel, and stop having 5 children.

Are the US taxpayers going to pay again for Israel's illegal policies. We basically pay for those arrogant settlers and now we will have to pay for getting rid of them ??? Maybe it is a time for Israel to pay for criminal behaviour

Holy Sammuramat, I hope that Ayala Ezran has made no children. A nasty mug like that should not be cloned, no way, for the sake of cosmic aesthetics.

I have seen families living inside the green line with 5 kids in small apts too who could use the million sheckles to improve their lives, so why should one sector of society get more than the other? The settlers chose to to the Gaza,the compensation they get should be realistic and just enough to give them a house like the rest of us live in, they should be equal to the rest of us ,not better. Because of the war last summer we lost out livilhood(we live in the North, we are struggling, but we are not crying poor us, help us, we are doing it on our own,looking for good jobs and downsizing where we can. I have no pity for the settlers, they should adjust their thinking to the reality they now live in,buy a house they can afford, kids can share bedrooms, the parents should look for jobs and get on with their lives and stop complaining they had it better than the rest of us for so many years.

I have seen families living inside the green line with 5 kids in small apts too who could use the million sheckles to improve their lives, so why should one sector of society get more than the other? The settlers chose to to the Gaza,the compensation they get should be realistic and just enough to give them a house like the rest of us live in, they should be equal to the rest of us ,not better. Because of the war last summer we lost out livilhood(we live in the North, we are struggling, but we are not crying poor us, help us, we are doing it on our own,looking for good jobs and downsizing where we can. I have no pity for the settlers, they should adjust their thinking to the reality they now live in,buy a house they can afford, kids can share bedrooms, the parents should look for jobs and get on with their lives and stop complaining they had it better than the rest of us for so many years.

Before you say they aren't struggling, I warmly suggest that you go to visit them and their (on average) 5 children who are living in 90m caravans... looking for jobs... and trying to recover their lives after being displaced and watching their homes be destroyed...

One fact not included here is that these families are still being charged by the banks for their mortgages. Would you do this deal? Get 1.5m NIS pay the banks 900K NIS on average and be left with 600K NIS, to be moved from a home of 250m to 90m, lose your job and still have to support 5 kids... not sure I would!

To no. 4: One of the dumbest comments I have ever seen on this forum. Perhaps the cold up in Canada has frozen your brain. By the way, bigshot, how come you are not living in a trailer on a hilltop in the West Bank with the religious crazies? Or are you too hypocritical to leave Canada?

Why is this allowed to happen? We the people paid the price for them to live in Gaza in the first place, we paid with the blood of our sons& daughters defending the settlers homes, now because we decided it was not worth the blood we have to give each family around a million sheckles? It is ridiculious, give them the just market value of the houses, and about 30,000 sheckles extra to help them resettle and thats it, why should they benefit so much financially because they chose to live in Gaza because there they could afford houses with land that they could not otherwise afford to buy, and all the tax breaks they got while living there should be taken in account as well. It is about time they live like the rest of us, why should we struggle while they don't?

Gaza "refugees" are finding it difficult to live the way the average citizen lives in Israel. No ultra-cheap labor, no perks, no extra extortions from the government. So 1,500,000 or 2,000,000 shekel per family seems like chicken feed for them.

It isn't that I don't think the evacuees should be paid less than the value of what they were forced to abandoned. No, they should, less of course, all government subsidies paid while they lived in Gaza. Fare enough, a zero sum game. The government provided, and what the government provided, subtracted from what the property was worth should be paid to those who were required to leave. Even more. They deserve a certain - and I do not pretend to say how much - for the inconvenience. The government did support their migration into Gaza. But 2 million? Tis a bit too much I think.

my cousins who lived in Gaza 20 years and owned hothouses were evicted from the homes Israel once asked them to live in, and have been living in a school dormitory the past 2 years. there is NO money for them, since they were patriots who knew leaving Gata was a mistake that has brought Israel no additional peace at all. the people who got money were the cowards who left earlier once they knew they were getting paid off, not the hero's who refused to accept a government buyout from an administration making such a grievous error with the future safety and security of Israel.

Ali, it's nice to see someone honest enough to expose the Palestinian refugee grievance for what it is: a big money grabbing con: Live in squalor for 50 years, kill enough Jews so they have to pay you all off. Then they will be millionaires and never have to work a day in their lives. Noble cause! Great plan! How about this: Give up the war you lost 50 years ago. Get off your tushes and work to pursue happiness like everyone else. Oh, and if you must live in crap conditions for 50 yrs to extort your payoff, you'd think at least you would want better for your families...Guess not. Thanks Ali for your candor it's truly refreshing!

These figures explain why Israel will never engage in serious negotiations to achieve a peace settlement, which will necessarily call for an evacuation of the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. The total cost, military and civilian, of evacuation of 7,500 settlers from Gaza will be NIS 10 billion ($2.5 billion). Projecting these figures, the total cost for evacuating 240,000 colonists from the illegal West Bank settlements would be NIS 320 billion ($80 billion). And this amount does not even include the value of infrastructure destroyed or abandoned during the evacuation. In short, Israel has painted itself into a corner by its famous "facts on the ground." Can some economist out there explain to me just how Israel intends to pay the bill for peace? Is the Israeli position now going to be: "We can't afford it"?

and another 100 mill nis for being refugee

With that kind of money coming in, I'm not surprised that many of these settlers want to move to the West Bank. That way they can cash in again when the West Bank is turned over as part of the 2-state solution that Israel claims to support.