Yesha Council heads meet with Netanyahu
Yesha Council heads meet with NetanyahuAmos Ben Gershom / GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met today with Yesha Council Chairman Hananel Dorni, Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne'eman, Binyamin Regional Council Chairman Avi Roeh, and Amana Secretary-General Ze'ev (Zambish) Chever regarding the possible normalization of the status of houses in Netiv Ha'vot in the Gush Etzion town of Elazar.

The meeting was held after the government decided to facilitate promotion of permanent Netiv Ha'avot regulation and to promote planning and financing of temporary housing for families expelled from their homes in Netiv Ha'avot near the community of Alon Shvut.

The Supreme Court in December 2016 ordered the destruction of 15 houses in Elazar's Netiv Ha'avot neighborhood, after a disputed strip of land was found to run through them. The remaining homes in the neighborhood are entirely on state land.

At the meeting, the participants welcomed the Prime Minister's decision and praised his support for the settlement enterprise in general.

Yesha Council Chairman Dorni said, "We were pleased to hear that the Prime Minister is with us in the struggle for Netiv Ha'avot, as well as many other issues in favor of settlement. The decision that was taken is very important, both in arranging an appropriate temporary solution for the residents who will be uprooted and for the future, until the new permanent Netiv Ha'avot site is established.

"All those who work against us should know that for every attempt to destroy, we will build more and deepen our hold on the Land," Dorni stressed.

"We hope that the judges will take the families into account and approve the State request to postpone the destruction, enabling the State to evaluate temporary housing for the residents whose homes are about to be demolished," Dorni said.