Avichai Mandelblit
Avichai MandelblitTomer Neuberg/Flash 90

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit expressed fierce opposition to proposed laws to legalize the community of Amona, warning in a closed-door meeting that if passed, such bills could undermined Israeli democracy.

Amona, a town of roughly 40 families north of Jerusalem, is slated for demolition by year’s end, due to the disputed ownership of the land upon which many of the homes sit.

In recent weeks, a number of ministers and MKs have pursued possible solutions to normalize Amona’s status and remove questions over ownership of the town’s land.

One such proposal is to amend the Absentee Property law, thus enabling the government to compensate claimants and settle once and for all the matter of ownership.

According to a report by Channel 10, however, the Attorney General privately warned that such an amendment to the Absentee Property law would constitute "a mortal blow to the foundations of the rule of law," adding that it would mark, in effect, an "end to democracy" in Israel.

Mandelblit noted the Supreme Court’s own criticism of such proposals, which the Court has in the past said would seriously harm ownership and property rights in Israel.

Mandelblit was IDF Chief Legal Military Advocate General when the "disengagement" from Gaza and northern Samaria took place.