Israel Matzav

Hamas moving Gaza 'refugees' to new housing?

Hamas is rebuilding the Gaza Strip, and one of the new features is apparently going to be new housing, which means that many of the 'refugees' may be allowed to live outside the 'refugee camps.'

But the renovation of public buildings is nothing compared to Hamas' flagship project: The building of 25,000 new housing units in the city, some on lands of the former Gush Katif settlements.

The goal is not only to overcome the huge apartment shortage – which stems mainly from the natural growth, the damages of the war, and the halt in construction in the past three years – but mainly to benefit the people, whose support Hamas seeks in order to establish its rule.

The plan is to construct multi-story buildings ("we have no land to spare," explains a Gaza housing ministry official) and neighborhoods built as independent residential areas. A mosque will be set up at the center of each neighborhood, alongside shopping centers, schools and kindergartens. Access roads will be paved and even playgrounds for children.

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Who are the apartments for? Hamas' housing minister Yousef Alamanti announced recently that the new homes would be sold in full transparency, according to a series of criteria of social justice.

First in line will be the families of 'shahidim' (martyrs), prisoners and casualties of war. Next in line will be young couples who have no apartment of their own and whose family doesn't own a plot they could build on. They will be followed by families whose homes were destroyed by Israel, especially during Operation Cast Lead, which cannot be rebuilt. The remaining apartments will be handed out according to a housing ministry raffle.

And what about the prices? Apartments in the new neighborhoods will cost $25-40,000, a significant sum in Gaza. Buyers who have a safe and regular job, like Palestinian government workers, will be entitled to a bank loan. The rest will be able to take mortgages provided by Islamic associations. Islamic charity organizations will help the families of shahidim and prisoners.

A similar apartment in the nearby southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, by the way, costs a bit more: About NIS 500-600,000 ($135-163,000) for a new three-room apartment, and some NIS 800,000 (almost $220,000) for a four-room flat.

Read the whole thing. It's amazing that in 2010, the mainstream media still has everyone convinced that the Gazans are starving.

Labels: Gaza plenty, Hamas

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:32 PM