The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday backed a Peace Now petition and scolded the government for not having destroyed homes in six Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria that were built on land whose ownership is disputed.
However, the case opened up the possibility for the end of the government’s turning a blind eye to illegal Arab construction on government land because the government told the court it examining how to regulate the building on land that never was privately owned.
Among the six Jewish communities named in the petition are Givat Assaf, Givat HaRoeh, Mitzpeh Yitzhar and Ramat Gilad, which have been targeted by both Israeli police and Palestinian Authority terrorist’s dozens of times.
Police have often destroyed lone buildings and expelled families in the middle of the night, scattering their possession for Arabs to pick up and take home. Terrorists have harassed the communities, burning houses and fields and stealing sheep and goats.
Supreme Court President Justice Asher Grunis gave the government six months to comply with the order and added that it “does not aim to legitimize the state’s procrastination on the matter, the lack of law enforcement or the decision to leave illegal structure in place for so long.”
The court ordered the government to pay Peace Now’s legal expenses of approximately $7,100.