Amona
AmonaFlash90

A deal brokered between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Jewish Home chief Naftali Bennett appears to be in danger, with a key element of the agreement being blocked by the Attorney General’s office.

Last week Bennett and the Prime Minister hammered out the framework for a compromise which would allow for the passage of the Regulation Law to protect Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, but without it being retroactively effective, thus leaving Amona with a December 25th deadline for a court-ordered evacuation.

Under the Bennett-Netanyahu “Regulation Package” agreement, Amona would be relocated to nearby plots of land on the same hill. The government would in turn apply the Absentee Property Law to those plots, making them state land and thus cementing Amona’s title to the property.

On Monday, however, the Attorney General’s office pushed back on the proposal to use the Absentee Property Law, saying Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit would not back the move.

With less than two weeks until the deadline for the evacuation, it appears that the compromise which would allow Amona to remain on the hill – a core demand of the Jewish Home – will not be put into effect.

The question remains whether the Jewish Home will follow up on its threat to block passage of the government’s budget if Amona is removed entirely from the hill, or to seek a new arrangement for the 42 families now living in the embattled Samarian town.