Supreme Court President Justice Dorit Beinish is accusing the state of “taking its time” in complying with a 2007 ruling pertaining to rerouting the partition fence near the Arab village of Bilin, in the Modi’in district. The court accuses the state of acting contemptuously due to its lack of adherence, stating the new route chosen by the state does not in any way comply with the High Court’s ruling. The issue surrounds the fence near an area southeast of Modi’in Illit’s (Kiryat Sefer) Na’ot HaPisga neighborhood.

The state maintains there is no justification of leaving the hill on the western side of the fence for security reasons, which is in line with the ruling which cited the need to provide security for residents of Na’ot HaPisga as well as Matityahu East. Justice Beinish however rejects what she labels the state’s “all-encompassing” attitude of the state, explaining while the security needs of Jewish residents of Yehuda and Shomron indeed justifies the building of the partition fence east of the Green Line, it does not justify interfering in the lives of the PA (Palestinian Authority) residents on the other side of the fence. Beinish fined the state NIS 10,000 and ordered immediate compliance with the court’s ruling.

A senior Modi’in district security official explained the court’s decision severely compromises the security of eastern residents of Kiryat Sefer, explaining that to date; handgun fire could not reach their homes since the fence is about a kilometer (6/10 mile) away. After the new fence is erected, considerably closer to their homes, the residents of the neighborhoods mentioned will face new risks from their Arab neighbors.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)