JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s state comptroller alleges in a newly released report that the government mishandled the evacuees from the Gaza Strip.
In the wake of the report, the Knesset’s State Control Committee will form a panel to investigate the issue.
"Three years after the disengagement, appropriate permanent housing solutions have not been found for a majority of the families, and many of the evacuees remain unemployed," according to the report by Micha Lindenstrauss made public Wednesday. "The evacuees paid a painful price for the evacuation and continue to pay it today."
The report said nearly two-thirds of the evacuees — those who chose to relocate with their entire communities — were still living in temporary homes. Lots had been allocated for the construction for 605 of the 1,751 households in that group, with 50 homes constructed as of last month.
Lindenstrauss said that delays in housing were caused by the housing and defense ministries passing the buck, and that resettling the evacuees could take several more years. The Disengagement Authority, Sela, also was ineffective in helping the evacuees find new jobs and relocate evacuated businesses, the comptroller said.
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