JERUSALEM, Aug 22 (AFP) - The Israeli government committee responsible for overseeing the evacuation of all settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the northern West Bank starting operating on Sunday.
The 10-member committee, known as SELA -- a Hebrew acronym for Aid for Gaza Strip Residents -- is part of Ariel Sharon's controversial plan to "disengage" from the Palestinians, a statement from the prime minister's office said.
"The administration will act as the sole government body which will have direct and continuous connections with the settlers," it said.
The committee will also be responsible for compensating settlers removed from their homes by the September 2005 deadline.
The Jerusalem-based committee is being headed up by Yonatan Basi, a prominent kibbutz leader who served as director-general of the agriculture ministry under Yitzhak Rabin's government in the 1990s.
The evacuation of the settlements has become one of the country's most divisive issues, with Sharon's own right-wing Likud party roundly rejecting the plan despite the fact most Israelis approve of it.
Exactly how much money the evacuated settlers would receive has yet to be determined, but media reports say the average family could receive up to 300,000 dollars.
However, most of the Gaza settlers have said they will refuse to leave and many have rejected the idea of financial compensation.