A panel of judges headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch has ordered the government to set a timetable for the expulsion of Jewish residents of 18 buildings in Judea and Samaria. The court gave the State four more months in which to come up with a plan for the evacuation.
The ruling, handed down Monday morning, stated that “under these circumstances… the state should have carried out the warrants [ordering the destruction of the buildings] or at the very least, produce an abiding timetable, as part of its basic duty to uphold the law.”
The decision came in response to a petition filed four years ago by the leftist Peace Now organization, which had protested the construction of the buildings in the budding community of Haresha and the neighborhood of HaYoval in the community of Eli. Peace Now’s stated objective is the removal of every trace of Jewish presence from Judea and Samaria. Both Haresha and Yuval are considered “illegal settlements” by leftists, but are also on the list of communities headed for the government chopping block.
“More than four years have passed since the petition was submitted; the State’s consistent stance from early on in the discussion of the petition has been that the buildings were built illegally, some on private land. A demolition warrant regarding the buildings was issued back in 2005,” the ruling continued.
Nevertheless, the panel decided to allow an additional four months for discussion with the Jewish residents of the buildings, noting that “the tenants have their own arguments and it is undeniable that hearings of all parties involved should be held prior to demolition.”
The judges also praised the State for wanting to avoid an ugly expulsion scene and seek a more amicable solution with the residents.
In February 2006, the Olmert administration ordered the Israel Police to demolish nine buildings in Amona, 12 miles north of Jerusalem. The forcible evacuation of young Jewish protesters at the site sent more than 200 people to hospitals and permanently traumatized dozens of youths. It was also caught on film, leading to later lawsuits and a permanent record of government violence against the Jews of Judea and Samaria.