The state was due to submit its response to the appeal filed by the Regavim national lands preservation movement today (Tuesday) in the matter of illegal UN construction in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
In a secret meeting Netanyahu held last weekend with a senior and limited team of ministers and from which Jewish Home ministers were absent, it was decided to postpone the state's response and thus allow the continuation of the work.
The UN is continuing renovations of its quarters at Armon Hanatziv using Israeli construction companies without obtaining the necessary building permits - despite the fact that the historic building was declared many years ago by the Jerusalem Municipality as a structure that is to be preserved, meaning approval is required for any and all construction work.
The Regavim petition to the Jerusalem District Court revealed illegal construction by the UN in the compound, as well as the fact that the UN took over an area of about 30 dunams close to Armon Hanatziv without a permit, putting it in the category of an illegal squatter..
In response to the petition, the state declared that the work was indeed illegal, but that the UN enjoyed diplomatic immunity that precludes legal proceedings against it. Regavim asked the court to issue at least an interim injunction against two Israeli companies - the Avner Gilad construction company and the planning company, Ronen, who are actually carrying out the illegal work in the compound, and do not enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Last month, the District Court rejected the request for an interim injunction to halt the work.
Last Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu held a secret and private discussion with Minister Miri Regev and Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of the National Security Council, Attorney General Mandelblit and the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, in order to formulate the State's position by today, the court imposed limit for responding. Despite standing agreements, a Jewish Home representative was not invited to the secret discussion.
In the hearing, it was decided that the state would ask to postpone its response to the court by several weeks.Regavim is furious at the postponement request, which is likely to allow the UN and the Israeli construction companies to complete the illegal work in the compound, thereby effectively neutralizing the petition to the Supreme Court.
"This conduct adds insult to injury. Not only did the state not initially act against the work's implementing the prohibited historic structure renovation, the Prime Minister now decided to effectively dissolve the legal process, and in practice to authorize the UN to do whatever it pleases, illegally," says Regavim.
At the end of the month the UN Secretary General is expected to visit Israel for the first time.It is reasonable to assume that this fact has also influenced the political echelon to refrain from any practical steps that could cloud the atmosphere on the eve of the expected visit.