Palestinians, assisted by mayors from the area as well as private businessmen, have been conducting a comprehensive survey of the buildings in the settlements in order to decide which to keep for ‘development and growth of the Palestinian economy.’, and which to ask Israel to demolish.
‘We’re better prepared than Sharon for the evacuation.’ a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday.
 The official also said that based on international law, the PA will demand that Israel demolish the unneeded constructions and remove the rubble.
Earlier in the week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed readiness to coordinate the pullout with Israel, but hinted that much of the buildings in settlements are useless to Palestinians.
Abbas told Israeli reporters on Tuesday that ‘Palestinians don’t really need ‘villas,’ i.e. detached one-family homes.
Palestinian Housing Minister Mohammed Shteiah also said that he hopes Israel will destroy settlers’ homes to allow the PA to replace ‘the villas with high rise buildings in order to ease the chronic housing problem in the overcrowded Gaza Strip’
According to PA sources, two committees of experts, one in Gaza and the other in Ramallah, are preparing recommendations for the PA on the issue.
The committees include dozens of specialists in international law, urban planning, agricultural geography and other areas.
