Israeli court orders demolition of illegal settler outpost near Bethlehem

Israel’s Supreme Court yesterday ruled that an illegal Israeli settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem be demolished by March 2018.

The decision sparked condemnation from right-wing Israeli parliament members who blamed the decision on left-wing groups aiming to “exploit the judicial system” for the benefit of a minority.

The court ordered the removal of 17 homes, comprising of some 40 Israeli families, in the Israeli settler outpost of Derech HaAvot established in 2001 near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc after ruling that the outpost was built on privately held Palestinian land, according to a statement released by Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the outpost was established with 300,000 shekels ($79,562) from the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing. Soon after its establishment, the outpost was challenged in the courts by Palestinians from the town Al-Khader who claimed they owned the land.

The property disputes have been ongoing for some 16 years, as the case remained lodged in the Israeli courts. Following the most recent petition submitted by Peace Now and Palestinian residents, the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that 17 structures in the outpost – out of a total of 60 – were built on private Palestinian land. However, according to the group, Israeli authorities worked to retroactively legalise the structures, sparking fears that the court proceedings would drag on for several more years.

According to Haaretz, the court has given the government until 31 December to evacuate two of the homes, while the remainder should be completely removed by 6 March 2018.

“This verdict exposes, yet again, the governments’ attempt to bend the law for the benefit of settlers,” Peace Now said in a statement. “We hope that the verdict will be implemented fully and in a timely manner, and that the State will abstain from assisting the theft of private Palestinian lands in other cases as well.”