Amona outpost
Photo: Sebastian Scheiner
Palestinians petition against Amona outpost
Yesh Din organization demands evacuation of West Bank outpost, claims Amona built on Palestinian private property; says authorities do nothing to prevent settlers' invasion on their land
Ten Palestinians filed a petition to the Supreme Court on Tuesday demanding the Amona outpost that stands on what they claim to be their land be evacuated.
In the petition, filed through the Yesh Din organization, against the defense minister and the head of the IDF Central Command, the Palestinians demanded the outpost be evacuated and the fence surrounding part of it be removed, as it blocks the Palestinians' access to their land.
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"This petition pertains to the shameless invasion of Israeli citizens on the private property of the petitioners, who are all Palestinian," the petition said.
"This invasion has been going on for over a decade without any effective enforcement by the authorities responsible for the rule of law in this region, and this is despite the fact that everyone agrees the invasion is occurring on the private land of the petitioners and many other residents."
According to the petitioners, the Amona outpost was built and surrounded by a fence that trespasses on private property without any building permit from the land owners or the authorities.
The petitioners' attorneys, Michael Sfarad and Shlomi Zachariah, asked the court compel the authorities to uphold their duties and enforce the building and planning laws against what they called the illegal outpost that stands on the petitioners' land.
About three years ago, in a one-time process and after a petition to the High Court of Justice, demolition orders were issued and carried out against nine buildings in the outpost, the petitioners said.
Nonetheless, the violations have continued and the residents of the outpost have even illegally built more structures on the petitioners' private property.
