Fourteen local Jewish councils in the West Bank filed a petition with the High Court of Justice on Thursday against Central Command Chief Avi Mizrahi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak
and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
in a motion to revoke the settlement freeze
orders.
The petitioners claimed that the orders were based on political considerations beyond the army commander's authority.
The petitioners also complained of the lack of a reasonable preparation period and motioned to issue an interim order to delay the moratorium until a ruling on their petition is made.
A caravan in Alon Moreh Thursday (Photo: Yehonatan Kellerman)
They further complained that the decision to halt construction in the West Bank did not include a clause stating that the State of Israel would compensate the settlers for damages caused as a result of the moratorium.
The petitioners said the freeze constitutes a "deathblow" to construction projects amounting to tens of millions of shekels in each council. They said these projects are in advanced stages of development and that most of the expenses cannot be refunded.
"(The freeze) is a political measure which is aimed at jumpstarting the (peace process), and if the moratorium continues beyond the 10-month period allotted to it, as was declared, then it will constitute public deception," the petition read, adding that in such a case the State must allow construction projects already underway to be completed.
Also on Thursday, Yesha Council heads who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv for two hours to discuss the construction freeze.
Settler representatives who attended the meeting said the prime minister told them he wanted to prove to the world that Israel wasn't opposed to peace and promised them that construction would resume after 10 months.
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