Bassi. 'Failed to look out for our interests'
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Unqualified failure
Yonatan Bassi was supposed to take care of settlers. Instead, he only took care of Sharon's vision
No one stays in the same job forever, especially someone who fails to do his job properly. (Outgoing Disengagement Authority head) Yonatan Bassi was presented to us as some sort of "father figure," a man who would look after us and who was supposed to sweeten the bitter pill we were forced to swallow.
Many sweet-sounding promises were made, some of which even looked pretty good on paper. But in actual fact, nothing he said bore any relation to the facts on the ground. From day one, I understood that if this man was supposed to be my "father," I would prefer to be an orphan.
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Simple failure
Simply put, he failed to look out for our interests. He looked out only for the vision of Ariel Sharon. It doesn't matter what he wanted to do and what he promised – maybe he really did want to help – but in this game, only results count. And from this perspective, he was a complete failure.
This can be seen all around our country: In Nitzan, an entire city of unemployed people. Others continue to live in hotels. Nine months have passed, and Yonatan Bassi couldn't manage to find them temporary housing?! (Yes, some families continue to live in guest houses).
Shameful scandal
It is a shameful scandal that the State of Israel knows how to expel people from their homes, but isn't so good at resettling them.
The people who negotiated with Yonatan Bassi before, during and after the expulsion say that most promises and agreements reached with Bassi never materialized. He consistently hid behind the stock phrase, "the attorney general said 'no.'"
I think that half the reactions to this column will say, "Yeah, if you would have cooperated, things would look quite a bit different."
But look at the way things have turned out for the folks who did cooperate from the get-go. You think things are better for them? Guess again.
And to Bassi's replacement, I have just one piece of advice: Don't act like a bureaucrat. A friendly smile, go with your heart, and I am sure this will be the best way for expellees to reconstitute themselves.
I hope the change of personnel will all things to start to move, and will allow us to return to normal life.
Warning
And one last note: I read in the paper yesterday that "40 percent of settlers are prepared to leave peacefully tomorrow."
But – listen carefully, you settlers – I wouldn’t recommend it. The state will promise you the moon, but you will wind up empty-handed. The most you will get is a tiny mobile home (grandly called a "cara-villa"). You have no idea what it means to be a refugee in your own land. It is a terrible feeling.
So before you throw your lives away, think about it. Because afterwards will be too late. You will be left only with pain, and pangs of longing.
Renana Marmelstein was evicted from her home in the town of Ganei Tal in the Gaza Strip
