Amona affair and settlement policy to determine the future of the Netanyahu government
Israel’s Supreme Court orders the dismantlement of an outpost northeast of Ramallah by 25 December. Right-wing cabinet members call on residents to resist and approve bill to legalise the outpost retrospectively. Thousands of people are said to be ready to “defend” it. Palestinians turn to international law and announce recourse to the UN.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The settlement policy promoted by the Israeli government and endorsed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who depends on right-wing nationalists to govern, has opened a new front of confrontation with the judiciary (and Palestinians).
The dispute revolves around the outpost of Amona, north-east of Ramallah, which the Supreme Court of Israel ordered dismantled. The Israeli government seems however determined to resist, sparking the ire of the Palestinian Authority, which has said it is ready to resort to the United Nations.
The Israeli cabinet approved draft legislation to legalise retroactively unauthorised Jewish settlements, or outposts, in the occupied West Bank. For Mr Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, this would fuel tensions and "bring disasters to the region".
Despite the accusations and threats made by Palestinian leaders, Israel seems set to go ahead with its settlement policy despite a power struggle within the right, and the Supreme Court’s decision to reject a government petition to delay the demolition of the outpost.
"The evacuation must occur before December 25," the high court said in its ruling. "The court rejects the delay requested by the state." In what seems to be a sharp rebuke of the government, it adds that "the duty to obey rulings is not a matter of choice.”
Right-wingers in Netanyahu's cabinet have called for 40 families living there to resist evacuation, and the Israeli cabinet approved a bill to legalise retroactively unauthorised settlement homes built on private Palestinian land in communities that meet certain criteria. The draft would compensate Palestinian landowners in return for the seized land.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett is one of the strongest supporters of the bill. His votes in the Knesset are crucial for the survival of Netanyahu’s weak government. The bill to become law must still be approved by Israel's Knesset, or parliament.
For analysts and experts, the Amona affair represents the litmus test of Israel’s settlement policy. Everyone is now waiting to see if the government continues on its hard-line stand as its hawkish right-wing members want or gives in to international law and the decision of the Supreme Court.
On the margins of the crisis, a committee of solidarity with the Amona settlers announced late Monday that "thousands" of supporters would be mobilised to block their evacuation. Some fear the repeat of past clashes between settlers and police.
According to Peace Now, 2,623 housing units were built in 2016 in areas under direct Israeli administration in the West Bank, 756 of which were retroactively legalised. At least, 570,000 Israelis live in more than 130 settlements built by Israel since 1967 when it seized the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Under international law, these settlements are illegal, a view disputed by the Israeli government, which has boosted its settlement activities in the past few years. In addition to official settlements, there are 97 outposts, which even the Israeli government regards as illegal.
Peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinians sides broke down in 2014, triggering an escalation of violence in the region.
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