A suit for damages in the amount of NIS 4 million was filed Wednesday against Finance Committee chairman MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) by two families who were expelled from their homes in Gush Katif as a part of the 2005 disengagement plan. The suit was filed yesterday in a beit din -- rabbinic court -- in Jerusalem. Plaintiffs allege that Gafni's decision join Ariel Sharon's government made the disengagement possible and that he therefore bears responsibility for the results. The lawsuit asserts "the defendant cooperated with a government that had declared its intention to deport all the residents from their homes and lands in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. Deportation caused plaintiffs and their families extensive economic damages and severe emotional distress." Plaintiffs further argued Gafni joined the coalition in approving the plan because he had received "bribes" in the form of 290 million shekels from the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for ultra-Orthodox educational institutions in the 2005 budget in exchange for his party's support for the disengagement. "...The defendant's joining the regime gave moral and ethical approval from the person who was supposed to represent the Torah for the Gaza deportation," the plaintiffs claimed in their lawsuit. The plaintiffs are demanding monetary compensation for the loss of their homes, livelihood and the emotional injury experienced as a result of the disengagement. Gafni's office stated they were not aware of the suit.
