Mosque
MosqueISTOCK

The Beer Sheva Magistrate's Court accepted the State's claim and awarded a 130,000 shekel payment for the evacuation of a mosque in the city of Rahat, which was built by infringing on public lands and trespassing.

The judgment was issued against eight defendants, requiring compensation for expenses incurred by the State for the evacuation of an illegal building that served as a mosque in the city of Rahat in the Negev.

The building was established through illegal infringement by the defendants onto public lands designated, according to plans, to serve as an open public area without buildings, for the benefit of all residents of Rahat.

On April 8, 2010, the Israel Land Administration issued an order to remove the infringement under the Public Land Law (Eviction of Squatters) of 1981. Three legal proceedings were opened against the order in Beer Sheva and Kiryat Gat, and all requests to delay the evacuation were rejected.


In accordance with its authority under the law, and after the courts again ruled, in a series of judicial decisions, that the building was built contrary to any law while infringing on public land, in bad faith and disregarding the rule of law, the ILA cleared the land, accompanied by police forces.

The court's decision adopted the State's position that the public purse should not have to fund the behavior of the squatters, who have decided to ignore clear-cut decisions, establish “facts on the ground” and, at the same time, take the law into their own hands.