by Gideon Allon, Shlomo Cesana and Efrat Forsher
"This is a historic day for the settlement enterprise," Habayit Hayehudi MK says after Judea and Samaria Settlement Regulation Law passes with 60 MKs in favor, 52 opposed • Opposition leader: This horrible bill will lead us to one place: The Hague.
The vote on the outpost
regulation bill, Monday
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Photo credit: Reuters  |
The Knesset on Monday evening passed the
controversial outpost regulation bill that will allow the government to
retroactively grant permits to contested Judea and Samaria communities.
Following a long, stormy session, 60 lawmakers voted in favor of the
bill, and 52 voted against it.
The new Judea and Samaria Settlement
Regulation Law has already been challenged, as several leftist groups
have announced they will petition the High Court of Justice to strike it
down.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was absent
from the vote, as he was making his way back from the United Kingdom to
Israel when it took place.
Media reports suggested Sunday that Netanyahu
opposed holding the vote on Monday, saying it should be delayed until
after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 15. But
Netanyahu clarified Monday that "I never said I wanted to postpone the
vote. I said I was guided by Israel's national interests, and that
includes not blind-siding allies, certainly not our very good friends.
I'm acting responsibly -- not by anyone's dictations."
MKs Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) and
Yoav Kisch (Likud), who sponsored the bill, called the vote "historic"
and thanked the lawmakers who supported the bill.
"This is a just, moral law. The Likud
government has fulfilled its promises to the voters and to the Judea and
Samaria settlement enterprise," Kisch said.
"This is a historic day for the settlement enterprise," Smotrich said.
Under the new law, all administrative orders
issued against 16 contested outpost and settlements will be suspended
for one year, during which the Civil Administration will work to
determine whether the state can expropriate the land.
The 16 communities that have received a
reprieve are: Ofra, Eli, Netiv Ha'avot, Kochav Hashahar, Mitzpeh Cramim,
Elon Moreh, Ma'aleh Michmash, Shavei Shomron, Kedumim, Psagot, Beit El,
Yitzhar, Har Bracha, Modiin Illit, Nokdim and Kochav Yaakov.
The law also gives Justice Minister Ayelet
Shaked the authority to add additional communities to the list, with the
approval of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
One of the main articles in the law states
that in any case involving disputed land, if it is determined that
construction was carried out in good faith or with the state's consent,
all the administrative orders will be suspended pending the completion
of zoning proceedings.
While the law will apply retroactively to
existing communities, it excluded nine homes in Ofra and 16 homes in
Netiv Ha'avot for which eviction and demolition orders have already been
issued following High Court rulings.
Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett called the bill "revolutionary."
"Our determination paid off," Bennett said. "I
congratulate the prime minister and our friends in the Likud party and
the government for their support of this law. To the opposition, which
is baffled by the fact that a national government passed a law promoting
the settlement enterprise, I say, this is democracy in action. The
government is implementing its primary objective, governing."
'Petty politics outweighs national responsibility'
Addressing the Knesset ahead of the vote,
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) beseeched lawmakers to
"stop this horrible train. It leaves here and it will only stop in The
Hague. It will deliver international indictments against Israeli
soldiers.
"This bill is a threat to the settlement
enterprise as a whole. It will annex millions of Palestinians to Israel
and they will demand full civil rights, including the right to vote," he
warned.
Herzog further lambasted Netanyahu for "abusing his office and the entire Zionist enterprise."
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also criticized
the bill, saying, "The only reason this bill has made it this far is
that petty politics has outweighed national responsibility and
statesmanship, becoming the only thing this government cares about."
News of the bill's passing vexed the residents of Amona, the Samaria community evicted last week after being excluded from the bill.
"As we stand before the ruins of our homes,
the outpost regulation bill is being passed, providing relief for
thousands of pioneering families in Judea and Samaria," the residents'
campaign said.
"This law was born out of the tremendous pain
of Amona's residents. This law, which we drafted, pushed and promoted
against all odds, has come to fruition as a result of our persistent
struggle through the years. On this day, we, the displaced residents of
Amona, say we will hold the prime minister and defense, education, and
justice ministers to their pledge to establish a new settlement for us.
If you fail to live up to your promise, neither we, nor our children or
the Israeli public, will ever forgive you."
Residents of Ofra welcomed the new law, saying
it was "a first and necessary step in giving the residents of Judea and
Samaria the equality enjoyed by all other Israelis."
The left-wing Peace Now group decried the
legislation, saying, "This law disgraces to the Knesset and we will
challenge it in the High Court."
The Yesh Din human rights group said, "The landowners' fight will now take place in the courtroom."
The Palestinian Authority denounced the law.
"Israel's parliament has passed a law
legitimizing the theft of Palestinian land," Chief Palestinian
Negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
Gideon Allon, Shlomo Cesana and Efrat Forsher
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=40179
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