Housing and Construction Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu) on Wednesday evening visited the protest tent set up by the residents of the Netiv Ha'Avot neighborhood in Gush Etzion, whose homes are expected to be demolished by March 2018 following a ruling by the Supreme Court.
Galant suggested to the residents that they base their struggle to save their homes on a bill he initiated prior to the eviction of Amona and which was not approved for submission by the Attorney General.
"Gush Etzion is a Jewish community that was destroyed by the Jordanians during the War of Independence. This is a Zionist symbol," he said.
"The State of Israel has a moral and practical obligation to strengthen Jewish settlement in the area and to double the number of residents from the number of people who lived here before the fall of the bloc in 1948. Gush Etzion and Efrat are the southern wing of Greater Jerusalem," stated Galant.
"I hope that we will be able to find the right solution for the Netiv Ha'Avot neighborhood. One of the options is the adoption of a bill that I proposed before the eviction of Amona, but which was rejected by legal officials. We will continue to strengthen Jewish settlement in all parts of the country."
The 16 homes in Netiv Ha'avot are slated for destruction because a one-meter-wide line of questionable ownership runs through them. No one has yet proven ownership of the strip of land.
Israel's Supreme Court ordered the homes demolished in September 2016, overriding a previous decision of the state, which certified the homes as legal.
In June, the Israeli government said it was "searching for an alternative" to the destruction. Earlier this month, Jewish Home MKs said they were trying to convince the government to prevent or at least postpone the destruction of the homes.