(JNi.media) Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a freeze on the demolition scheduled for the same day of houses belonging to the terrorists who murdered Malachi Rosenfeld, Dan Gonen and Eitam and Na’ama Henkin. The demolition was celebrated by the Netanyahu government as yet another means in the effort to stem the recent wave of Arab terror. The freeze order, issued by Justice Uzi Fogelman, said the state should avoid carrying out the destruction of those homes pending a hearing of petitioners’ claims.
The decision caused great anger on the right. Bayit Yehudi said in a statement that the “NIF has reached a new high of hatred of Israel through another one of its organizations which submitted the petition to the High Court. It is sad that these are the people who run our lives. The court must understand that human life is hanging in the balance, this is not the time for politics.”
Bayit Yehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett also commented, saying “this is an emergency, it is time the justices understood this. When people are murdered in the streets, the high court cannot wave its procedures to delay the war on terror. The Court must understand that any delay in the destruction of the home of a terrorist damages Israel’s deterrence and endangers lives. I call on the Supreme Court to come to its senses and adopt a quick decision regarding the home demolitions.”
Immigration and Absorption Minister Ze’ev Elkin said he calls “on the High Court not to drag its feet and immediately hold the debate about the demolition of terrorist homes, the Court held back today. Even the Justices should understand that we are at war against terrorism, and a democracy that can’t defend itself won’t win this war. Preventing the next attack by creating a deterrence with the demolition of terrorists’ houses is the order of the day and it can’t be that the Supreme Court will throw sticks in the wheels of the Cabinet decisions.”
More than two weeks ago, the Political/Security Cabinet approved a number of additional measures initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response to the security situation, in order to stem the growing tide of terrorism. The Prime Minister also instructed Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked to establish a mechanism to significantly shorten the procedure.
The day after the decision, security forces demolished the house belonging to Muhammad Nayif G’abis in Jebel Mukkaber. G’abis carried out the “tractor attack” near Route 1 in Jerusalem during the 2014 Gaza war, caused the death of Rabbi Avrohom Wallis and injuring seven other civilians.