The Gush Etzion village of Nativ Ha'avot near Elazar may receive authorization, government attorneys have stated.
Peace Now petitioned the Supreme Court to demolish the community, which was built before all of the necessary authorizations were received. However, the state says it may grant retroactive approval to the buildings, a process that often takes place elsewhere in the country.
The government plans to conduct a thorough survey, and to determine whether the community is built entirely on state land, or if some buildings are situated on privately owned Arab lands. If the entire village is located on state lands, it may be approved; if not, it will be destroyed, the state will tell the court at the hearing on Monday.
MKs Aryeh Eldad and Ze'ev Elkin of the Land of Israel Lobby praised the government for the move. “The government's response shows that it is taking an equal approach to the settlers, and understands that in Judea and Samaria, as in the rest of the country, gaps between the pace of construction and the authorization process can be bridged in a tolerant manner, and not with demolition orders,” they said.
'Ray of hope'
The lobby called on the government to take a similar approach regarding the neighborhoods of Charesha and HaYovel, which are slated for demolition. Plans to demolish the HaYovel neighborhood, in Eli, have drawn media attention due to the fact that two officers from the neighborhood fell in battle in recent years.
The Yesha Human Rights organization praised the decision as well. “The government's notice to the Supreme Court regarding Nativ Ha'avot is the first ray of hope that Jews in Judea and Samaria will be treated equally, instead of facing discrimination when it comes to construction and planning, as they have in the past,” the group said.
The government's response “is also a test for the Supreme Court, which now needs to prove that it is not ruled by political consideration,” it concluded.