Settler leader calls for sovereignty, applauds authorization of 52 hectares
Gush Etzion Regional Council head Shlomo Ne’eman called on the government to apply sovereignty to West Bank settlements, as he applauded the land registration that expands the usable land in his region by 52 hectares (128 acres).
“We are happy” to hear that the decadesold battle to free the land for construction has ended, “but we expect the full application of sovereignty,” Ne’eman said.
At issue is a large tract of land, in the area of the Rosh Tzurim, Kfar Etzion and Alon Shvut settlements, that was first purchased by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund in 1944 through its subsidiary Himnota.
But the registration process was not fully completed, and the land, which was under Jordanian control from 1948 until 1967, was never used.
Over the last several decades, KKL-JNF has attempted to resolve the issue, but appeals were filed by area Palestinians, who claimed ownership over portions of the property. The High Court of Justice in 2018 ruled in KKL-JNF’s favor, which cleared it to submit a registration claim.
This week, the Civil Administration’s Land Registry Committee approved the claim.
“Completion of the process has important historical and Zionist value as well as practical significance,” said KKL-JNF chairman Danny Atar.
Ne’eman said the land would allow for the building of homes and educational institutes.
This land “is part of the sovereignty map that we are fighting for, here in Gush Etzion and in Judea and Samaria in general.”
The attorney representing the Palestinian claimants, Ghiat Nasser, said he planned to file an appeal, alleging that the registration proceedings were done “illegally.”
Neither he nor the Palestinians were notified with regard to the committee’s proceedings, even though, Nasser said, he is registered as a representative of the Palestinian claimants for the purposes of the proceedings.
“I have written a letter of complaint in this matter and have not yet received a reply. We will take the necessary legal steps,” he said.