Amona
AmonaHadas Parush, Flash 90

Activists from the Arab village of Silwad, with help from the leftist NGO Yesh Din, sent a letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit requesting the government stop activists from heading to Amona. They also asked that the temporary structures built to house activists be destroyed immediately.

According to the Silwad Arabs, activists go to Amona for the express purpose of resisting the Israeli Supreme Court's decision that Amona's residents be expelled and their homes destroyed on December 25 because the court accepted the claim that the homes, whose construction was not contested by the government at the time, are built on private Arab land.

The Regulation Law now before the Knesset allows for compensation in cases like Amona, where there was no purposeful intention to take over private land. In Amona's case, the land was allocated by Jordan during the period when it was an illegal occupier, so that its status is questionable. Only two Arabs actually came forth and claimed ownership of less than 1% of the land on which the homes are built.

In the letter, the Arabs "reminded" Mandelblit that he had requested a delay for the expulsion and destruction of Amona, so as to allow a better solution to be found. Now, however, they claimed the government was "doing nothing to stop violence from happening." However, no violence has in fact occurred and the activists have not indicated that any is planned.

"The inaction by the authorities is puzzling here.In the moment of truth, as far as we know [the government] has not lifted a finger," the Arabs claimed.

The Arabs requested Mandelblit deal with the National Religious rabbis who have called for resistance against the expulsion and destruction of Amona. They also suggested Israel block Amona off, allowing only residents to enter and leave the area. Before the destruction of the Katif Bloc, that led to thousands of missiles launched at southern Israel, police closed off the area to outsiders so as to prevent resistance..