Israel: High Court orders demolition of 17 West Bank settler homes
Homes were built without permits on private land owned by Palestinians
Israel's High Court of Justice on Tuesday ordered the demolition of 17 homes at a West Bank settlement, the Jerusalem Post reported.
However, the state and homeowners at the Derech Ha'avot outpost will have 90 days to appeal the ruling.
The decision is the latest in a series of legal rulings over the settlement, located in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, and follows a Palestinian petition which was filed in 2002 against the unauthorized homes.
"After 12 years, the time has come for the homes to be demolished and for the court to reject the excuses of the state,” attorney Michael Sfard, who represents the Palestinian landowners as well as the left-wing organization Peace Now, was quoted by the Post as saying.
According to the report, construction at the outpost began without permits in 2001 on land partially owned by Palestinians. Despite the lack of permits, the Ministry of Housing and Construction gave NIS 300,000 (roughly $80,000) towards the houses' construction. There are presently 60 homes in the settlement.
A survey conducted by the state determined that 17 of these homes were built on private Palestinian property.
The Gush Etzion Regional Council has offered a land swap in an effort to save the homes from demolition.