Netanyahu says he opposes demolition of homes,
‘Gov’t working through legal means to prevent destruction’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to work to authorize 24 illegal housing units in Beit El, after Border Police violently evacuated scores of activists who were camping out in the half-completed structures early Tuesday morning.
“Our stance with regard to the Beit El homes is clear. We oppose their demolition and are working through legal means to prevent this,” Netanyahu said.
But his words did little to halt the tense standoff that continued throughout the day and into Tuesday night, with sporadic outbreaks of violence, as security forces, activists and politicians waited for a final verdict from the High Court of Justice.
Netanyahu said the government’s position to the High Court of Justice would call for the buildings not to be razed given that they have received all the necessary authorizations by the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria and the Beit El Council.
“We are working to support the settlement enterprise and are doing so in compliance with the law,” he said.
He issued his statement after the Border Police entered Beit El in a surprise move early Tuesday morning in advance of the anticipated demolition of two apartment buildings with 24 housing units that were initially built without the necessary permits.
A private contractor began work on the homes in 2010 and the buildings are still under construction. He received final permits authorizing the building only last week.
In the interim, the NGO Yesh Din and the Palestinian owners of the land that the buildings are being constructed on petitioned the High Court of Justice to force the IDF to halt the project and raze the structures.
In June, the High Court of Justice ordered the buildings to be taken down by the end of July because they lacked the necessary permits. The ruling did not address the issue of Palestinian land ownership because the lots in questions were seized by the state in 1979 under a legal procedure that was acceptable at that time, even though it has since been discontinued.
In its June ruling, the High Court of Justice said that the issue was not whether or not the buildings could be approved, but rather that they were constructed illegally.
As of press time, the court was in the process of hearing final appeals on the matter from all parties, including the state, which urged that the buildings be legalized, and Yesh Din, which argued that they should be taken down.