Photo by
Hillel Maeir/TPS on 8 August, 2016
Court Rejects State Request to Push Off Amona Eviction
By
Andrew Friedman/TPS
• 14 November, 2016
Jerusalem, 14 November, 2016 (TPS) -- The High Court of Justice has rejected the state’s request to delay the eviction of Amona residents and the demolition of the settlement outpost.
“As in the past, in the current instance we have been asked ‘at the last minute’ to delay implementation of a previous decision. We see that no period of time will be considered sufficient…we must take care that dates that were decided by the court do not become suggestions.
“The state’s request, which mainly rests on considerations that were already ‘considered’ in the original decision – in practice represents an attempt to change the details that have already been decided. We cannot accept this.
“At the same time, we must not ignore the reprecussions that could occur as a result of refusing to implement the decision under these circumstances. The message [that would be sent] is that one can prevent the implementation of a court decision due to the state’s concern of threats and/or violence, a message that a law abiding country must not accept,” the justices said.
Amona residents were quick to respond to the ruling, saying they have learned to live with uncertainty and pinned their hopes on the “Legalization Bill” which was ratified by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation Sunday.
“The date is coming, but we are not thinking about the day after,” Tamar Nizri, a 38-year-old mother of eight told Tazpit Press Service (TPS) “I’m not making any plans. I have no house to move to. I also don’t want any other house to move to.
“I’m taking a chance on the legalization bill. I’m typical of residents here – we are prepared to take the risk, to suffer through the uncertainty, in order for the chance that we will be able to stay here on our land,” Nizri said.
Like other residents, Nizri said her children are worried about the day after an eviction, and that she has tried to find a balance between preparing them for the possibility that Amona will be demolished and their faith in the Whole Land of Israel. All residents interviewed for this article said they have maintained open channels of communication with their children over the issue.
“In our house, we have all the cards on the table,” said Nachum Schwartz, a local farmer and father of six. “The kids know what is going on [in court and in the Knesset] but [we have also taught them] that what is happening today is bigger than us as individuals, bigger than Amona. The legalization bill is a sign that Israel is growing up, particularly with regard to Judea and Samaria. It’s a sign that our presence in Judea and Samaria is irreversible.”
Asked whether the Jewish Home ministers have enough political clout to push the bill through the Knesset, Schwartz said he believes the bill reflects the values that the Coalition was established on, and that it would gain ratification in the plenum easily. However, when presented with the possibility that his life could undergo a fundamental change in just five weeks, Schwartz was left with little apart from a deep sigh.
‘Understand, I’m a farmer, I’ve got a flock of sheep here, and crops. It would be very difficult for me to re-build my life somewhere else. Very hard,” he said.
