The residents of Moshav Mevo Modi’im on Tuesday established an action committee to fight for their basic rights for suitable housing after forty homes of the community’s fifty homes were destroyed by fire last weekend. The residents lost everything, literally, and without a solution as to how to continue, and the difficulties the families are facing, the decision was made to organize towards rebuilding their lives. “The nation is heading to elections, there is a transition government which is not functioning, and we are living in fear that we have been forgotten”, stated one of the members of the action committee.

Committee members include Alon Tiger (an attorney and member of the Maor Modi’im Council), Elchanan Golumb (Chairman of the Mevo Modi’im council), Netanel Richman (council member) and Brachi Sprung (a moshav resident).

The committee members stated this week that five days have passed since the destruction of their community and no solution has been provided for the immediate future. At present, the families are living under difficult conditions, explaining there are six people living in one room, in a dormitory intended for youths without basic provisions, adding many of the residents are in a difficult mental state following the fire.

The committee members believe the responsibility for assisting them falls on the shoulders of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who to date has not presented them with any solution. According to them, any solution must include an immediate allocation of a special budget to the Interior Ministry and regional council to permit them to assist the families in the short-term future, which must include housing them temporarily until a permanent solution is reached.

They explain it has been established that the fire was the result of arson, as inspectors into the fire found four ignition points, and since the issue involves a seamline community, moshav security personnel regularly receive dozens of terror warnings and alerts, which include arson activity.

The moshav’s action committee is calling upon Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to “accept national responsibility regarding Mevo Modi’im towards ensuring residents are treated properly and to arrange a long-term solution”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)