The state has asked the High Court of Justice to delay the destruction of the Jewish community of Amona by seven months.
At present, the community is set to be demolished by the end of this year. A ministerial committee for legislation was set to vote this week on a bill that would have officially recognized Amona and other similar communities but the vote was delayed by a week.
A bill dubbed the ‘Arrangement Law,’ was introduced by MK Shuli Mualem-Refaeli of the Bayit Yehudi party. It proposes that homes built using government support should not be demolished if the claimants are able to show prior ownership. Instead, the land of the community in question would be confiscated by the state. The claimants would receive fair market value and the burden of proof would be moved to the Palestinian Authority claimants, away from the Jewish residents.
Representatives for the state said in their petition the delay is necessary in order to prepare a solution for the residents who are losing their homes.
One of the alternative placements where the residents may end up is in the Jewish community of Shvut Rachel, according to the court papers. The other site is not far from the community’s current location.
The attorneys for the state underlined in their petition that the state is not seeking the delay in order to keep Amona in its current location. Rather, the state is working on finding a solution that will allow for a “peaceful” evacuation, and to reduce tensions that have already skyrocketed over the issue.