The controversial Regulation Bill passed its preliminary reading in Knesset on Monday, albeit without paragraph 7 which some hoped would retroactively legalize Amona as well as eight homes in Ofra slated for destruction and a neighborhood of 17 homes in Yishuv Elazar. The bill, even when passed into law, will not the homes of these three communities. This is viewed by many as a major failure by the Bayit Yehudi and other right-wing parties.

However, even among the right-wing camp, there are many chalking up the preliminary vote as a success, for in fact, when passed into law, 50 outposts will become legal along with 4,000 homes throughout Yehuda and Shomron. Stop-building and demolition orders will be canceled and 8,000 dunams (2,000 acres) of land expropriated.

Assuming the bill is passed into law, the next stops are likely to be the Israel High Court of Justice by Israelis and Arabs challenging the law or even perhaps the International Court of Justice in The Hague and the international community has already signaled its objections to the bill.

According to the radical left-wing Peace Now organization, the bill will legalize 3,921 buildings that have been constructed on Palestinian lands of which 2,744 are permanent structures and 1,177 caravans. Of the 4,000 buildings, 3,125 are built inside communities and almost 800 in outposts that are illegal. Peace Now insists over 50 outposts will be legalized along with 72 yishuvim.

Some of the communities that will gain legal status after passing the Regulation Bill into law are Eish Kadosh, Givat Harel, Givat Olam, Tapuach West, Gilad Farm, Bat ayin East and West, Avigail, along with some of the existing homes in Alon Moreh, Itamar, Har Bracha, Yitzhar and Migdalim, which Palestinians insist were built on their land.

Some homes which are contested in Ofra, Beit El, Mevo Choron, Dolev, Talmon, N’vei Daniel, Sussia, Maale Amos, Nokdim, Kiryat Arba, Kedumim, Karnei Shomron and others which are being challenged will also receive legal status.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)