Court orders demolition of 17 settler homes in Derech Ha’avot outpost
The High Court of Justice on Thursday ordered the demolition by March 6, 2018 of 15 unauthorized homes in the Derech Ha’avot outpost in the Gush Etzion Region of the West Bank.
Another two homes, which are empty, must be taken down by the end of this year, the court ruled.
The court’s verdict comes after a13-year old legal battle against the small hilltop community of some 40 families, who consider themselves to be an extension of the Elazar settlement, but whose homes areCourt orders demolition of 17 settler homes in Derech Ha’avot outpost – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post located outside the community’s boundaries.
News of court decision set off a political firestorm among right-wing ministers and parliamentarians who immediately attacked the court for supporting the latest petition against the 17 settler homes, which was filed by Peace Now in 2014.
“The extreme left has despaired of persuading people to establish a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. So, it has by-passed public opinion by using the legal system as a tool to enforce the policies of the minority on the majority,” Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi party head Naftali Bennett tweeted.