UBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" Paying the price of the moratorium Sunday, February 14, 2010       30 Shevat, 5770         Web JPost.com create JPOST.COM your Home Page       Jerusalem 30 °C fresh York 0 °C London 4 °C   Home | Headlines | Iranian Threat | Jewish World | idea | Trade | true Estate | Local Israel | Blogs | Arts & Culture | Français  | Classifieds  Israel | Middle East | International | Health & Sci-Tech | Features | go | Cafe Oleh | Magazine | Sports | Israel Guide | Subscribe | Services Archives JP Toolbar Christian World Youth Magazines RSS Feeds News Ticker More Services JPost Store Israel Hotels Vacation Rentals Philanthropy Green Israel Car Rentals Learn Hebrew JPost Mall Sderot Dove JP Travel Guide Links Purim E-cards Christian World Ten Tribes Advertise on JPost Media Kit לימוד אנגלית      Breaking News     JPost.com Opinion Letters   .large_body p, .large_body span { font-size: 18px; } .small_body p, .small_body span { font-size: 12px; } Paying the price of the moratorium By JPOST EDITORIAL 14/02/2010 21:09 The gov't should prioritize the establishment of a mechanism that will promptly and sensibly compensate the settlers for their losses.     When the Netanyahu government announced a 10-month freeze on new home-building for Jews in the Judea and samaria back in November, it knew there would be a price to pay, both in terms of political capital and in dollars and cents. While we will have to wait until the next election to see what the freeze will cost Netanyahu and the Likud in mandates, the financial cost is supposed to be determined correct now by his ministers.On Sunday, the Ministerial Commission on Legislation was planned to meet to discuss a bill that will fix the levels of compensation to be given to individuals and companies harmed by the construction freeze. According to the bill, place forward by Likud MK Danny Danon and co-sponsored by 15 other lawmakers, developers and individuals stand to receive between NIS 40 and NIS 100 per square meter of construction, founded on authorized plans, for every month of the freeze.To the chagrin of those affected, who are understandably anxious to know their fate, nonetheless, the meeting was canceled at the last minute and rescheduled for two weeks time – which may indicate the level of urgency the issue is getting from the state’s decision makers.The bill authorizes a streamlined process of filing claims to the state through a specially formed committee made up of representatives of the judiciary, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Interior and a representative of the settlers.Those choosing to employ the path of the committee will need to file their claims in writing, either by mail or via a specially created Web site. Claimants will have up to five years to file. The committee must reply a claim within 120 days of receiving it and payment is to be made within 60 days of a decision. Appeals will be heard by the district court.Most of the compensation payments will go to contractors whose West Bank developments are currently in limbo. Those hardest hit are projects that were at a relatively advanced stage of development or in initial sages of construction when the construction freeze went into effect. The government decided that only buildings with concrete foundations in space would be authorized to complete construction – a decision that caught out a significant number of developers. They had already paid for planning, permits and initial groundwork, yet were forbidden to see through their projects. Some had even offered units on paper and are now finding themselves unable to honor agreements with buyers.The bill offers two tracks of compensation, one for those who had purchased land however had yet to start development or construction work, and the second, providing increased compensation, to those who had begun that work. Some compensation will also be given to buyers whose homes are complete, but who are unable to inhabit them since the infrastructure work in their neighborhood was frozen.It is estimated that overall compensation costs will range between NIS 50 million and NIS 100m. This will also include payments to local authorities in the West Bank for loss of revenue from municipal taxes.WHILE IT is encouraging to see that the government is gradually moving toward taking action on the issue, it is worrying that only now, almost four months into the freeze, is the mechanism for compensation being debated – and Sunday’s postponement only amplified the concerns.The government, which showed rare efficiency in enforcing the freeze, should have had the foresight to set up a compensation mechanism in advance. It is unfair to the people affected, whose lives and livelihoods have suffered as a result of the decision, that their compensation be an afterthought.The tardiness in decision making is especially worrying in light of the state’s history of compensation in other instances, most notably in the case of the Gush Katif evacuees, many of whom are still waiting for the government to honor obligations from five years ago. The government should prioritize the establishment of a mechanism that will promptly and sensibly compensate the settlers for their losses. It is the fair thing to do.       Rate this article         Talkback Add a Talkback Read all Talkbacks end Thank you for sending your comment. Your reply has been received. The JPost.com Team Close Add Talkback: Please enter a valid name Please enter a valid address Subject Author   Country Message (MAX 600 characters) Email ( Will not be released ) I wish to recieve updates and offers from JPost.com I have read and accepted the Readers' Submissions policy Submit *Required fields   Send big little Print       Most Talkbacked 'J'lem will be Palestinian capital'Abbas: Peace talks can’t start until Israel stops Jerusalem construction.Talkbacks (156)14/02/2010 21:41Oren heckled at US collegeProtester: "Propagating murder is not an expression of free speech!" 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