Nitzan

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Nitzan (Hebrew ניצן, literally flower bud) is a religiously observant town located among the Nitzanim sand dunes north of Ashkelon, Israel. Nitzan was founded in 1949, and as of 1995, it had a population of 105.

[edit] Caravilla neighbourhood

The quiet town entered the limelight when it was selected to temporarily house one large group of families evacuated from Gush Katif as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan. 500 temporary caravillas were constructed on the eastern end of Nitzan, and 250 more were ordered by the Israeli Government. According to government plans, a school and sports area will eventually be constructed.

Several environmental organisations objected to the new construction, which increased Nitsan's area by four-and-a-half times, fearing damage to the fragile sand dune ecosystem. The neighbourhood has also been the target of criticism from the settlers, as well as Israeli human-rights groups^{[citation needed]}, citing a lack of adequate housing and facilities. They argue that governmental negligence resulted in a housing shortage which forced large families to separate into multiple caravillas, and that basic infrastructure like a youth area, nursery, and synagogue were absent.