Attorney Amichai Mandelblit is among those opposed to the Regulation Bill which, if passed into law, would grant the government the authority to retroactively legalize outposts including Amona. For one thing, Mandelblit believes if the bill is pass into law the matter will be taken by the Arabs who petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

He also feel the bill has given hope to the residents of Amona, whom have repeatedly to date rejected any and every offer to resettle and rebuild their community elsewhere as the High Court’s December 25, 2016 eviction date nears.

He also spoke of the “absentee property” solution, which refers to the owners of the land who fled Israel after 1967 and not returned to claim the land. He refers to a ruling dating back to 1988 by then-IDF Advocate General Uri Shoham, who stated use of such land was legitimate in cases of urgent public need. He explains that passage of the Regulation Bill will in actuality invalidate the ‘absentee property’ option. His viewpoint is echoed by Knesset Legal Adviser Eyal Yinon, who opposes the Regulation Bill as well.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman are also opposed, and Lieberman has already stated the only solution if transferring the community elsewhere, an offer that is outright rejected by the residents today, numbering about forty families.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)