ISRAEL'S HIGH COURT LANDMARK DECISION SHOCKS ...
Israel’s High Court on Tuesday delivered a blow to Israeli settlements on the West Bank. It overturned the 2017 law which had been designed to protect Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria who had inadvertently built homes and apartments on land that they had been told was owned by the State of Israel. The High Court’s decision of 8 - 1 centred on the ‘right to equality’ being expanded to Israelis and Palestinians, who are residents of the region, who aren’t citizens of Israel and don’t live in Israeli territory.”
The 2017 law which the court struck down had been designed to protect Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria, who had inadvertently built homes and apartments on land that they had been told was owned by the State of Israel. However, in certain cases it was discovered, afterwards, that the land didn’t belong to the state. The Netanyahu administration said at the time the law was introduced, “the main purpose of the law is, once and for all, to remove the freezing cloud of uncertainty that hovers over entire communities.” The government said it wanted to avoid the “demolition of thousands of buildings in the area and evacuating families.” With the law now struck down, those homes may once again be exposed to demolition.
Netanyahu’s Likud party announced on Tuesday it would legislate the law anew. However, its coalition partner, Blue and White, sent the opposite message that it would work to uphold the judges’ view, leading commentators to question whether the court’s decision will spark a coalition crisis.
Watch this space.