Settlers plan to file a legal appeal to of the Civil Administration’s refusal to certify their purchase of a three family building, known as Beit Hamachpela, located in the West Bank city of Hebron. The refusal was based on technical reasons.
Settlers moved into the building at the end of March after buying it from its Palestinian owners. In early April, security forces forcibly evicted them within a week pending investigation of the purchase claim and because they had failed to obtain the necessary permits to enter the building.
On Tuesday, the Civil Administration sent a letter to the settlers’ attorney Doron Nir Tzvi informing him that a number of technical discrepancies prevented legalization of the sale.
Right-wing politicians immediately called foul and urged the government to adopt the recommendations of a government-sponsored report on unauthorized West Bank construction penned by a three-person legal team led by former Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy.
The report calls on the government to legalize such building and to create an independent legal system to handle West Bank property disputes.
MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) charged that the Civil Administration’s decision had little to do with law and everything to do with Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s pre-election campaign efforts.
“Barak continues to push the party to the left for the purposes of elections,” Hotovely said.
“The Ministerial Committee must immediately convene to change the decision,” she said. It should also authorize the Levy report, “so that Jewish property rights can’t be harmed by the arbitrary will of officials and politicians,” Hotovely said.
The Knesset Land for Israel lobby echoed her opinion. It called the Civil Administration response “shameful.” It added that the time had come to end the Civil Administration’s “judicial abuse of settlers by denying them their basic rights.”
MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union) called on Likud ministers who had initially sworn to support the settlers’ purchase of the building, to now make good on their word.
“Once again it appears that the Likud ministers can issue statements, but in actuality, it is Barak who is in charge,” Ben Ari said.
But Hagit Ofran of Peace Now said she supported the Civil Administration’s stance.
The Civil Administration can not approve the purchase if its not completely legal, Ofran said. “No political argument should change the law,” she added.
Front Page Features