Amona Residents Call on Gov't To Ratify Legalization Bill

Jerusalem, 13 November, 2016 (TPS) -- Several dozen residents of Ofra and Amona, supported by Jewish Home Party Chairman Naftali Bennett, demonstrated outside the Prime Minister’s Office Sunday, hours before the Ministerial Committee for Legislation was set to begin deliberations on the so-called “legalization bill,” amidst reports that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has discouraged members of the coalition from supporting the new legislation.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett called on the prime minister and Likud Party ministers to support the legislation. In addition,spokespeople for the Jewish community of Amona said in a statement that Netanyahu has promised in the past to support legislation that would retroactively grant state recognition to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria that were built without official approval. They called on him to “make history” Sunday by supporting the bill.

“The moment of truth is here. Don’t run away. Stand up today and ratify the law. Make history today for Amona, for Ofra, for Netiv HaAvot and for all Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria,” they said.

However, the prime minister is expected to convene representatives of each party in the coalition party to attempt to persuade them not to put the bill on today’s agenda of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. He would prefer to wait until the High Court of Justice gives its response to the state’s motion to postpone the demolition of Amona by seven months in order to allow the government to craft a workable solution to the issue that is acceptable to all parties.

The court has given the state until December 25 to raze the community and expel residents.

Legally and politically, however, the bill presents several challenges for the government. Last week,  Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said that were the new legislation to become law, he would be hard-pressed to defend the measure should if anyone challenged its legality.

In addition, Israel Radio reported Sunday that MK Tzipi Livni (Zionist Camp) said that the law presents Israel with a clear choice: Whether or not to accept the rule of law. She said that Prime Minister Netanyahu must decide whether the State of Israel is a country where the rule of law [is prevalent] or not, and asked whether normative jurisprudence or Minister Bennett would set the tone for the State of Israel.