The state is rethinking its long-held position regarding the demolition of 18 homes in the Binyamin region, including the home of fallen war hero Maj. Roi Klein.
The Ministry of Defense, the Commander of IDF forces in Judea and Samaria, the Head of the Civil Administration and the Commander of Judea and Samaria District police seemed to backtrack this week on their earlier position in the High Court case involving 12 houses in the HaYovel neighborhood of Eli, including the home of Maj. Klein's family, and six houses in Haresha in Binyamin.
Represented by attorney Gilad Shirman, the state said it was “examining alternatives” to demolition of the homes “in order to resolve the issue."
"With regard to Haresha,” it said, “the state intends to examine and determine whether the land is privately- or state-owned before making a final decision on whether or not to implement the demolition orders. With regard to HaYovel, the state intends to conduct an examination and determine what are the boundaries of the state land in the area before making a final decision."
The case has been in court since 2005, when Peace Now petitioned the High Court to order the state to implement demolition orders that had been issued against the 18 homes. The state did not deny that the houses were illegal, but asked to be allowed to carry out the orders according to its own scheduled priorities. The latest announcement by the state appears to show that it is rethinking the longstanding demolition orders.