Bill proposal: Annex Route 443
MK Matalon suggests way of getting round High Court ruling to open highway to Palestinians
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation will discuss Sunday a proposed bill that would see Route 443 annexed by Israel, thereby automatically allowing only Israelis to use it.
The bill was proposed by MK Moshe Matalon (Yisrael Beitenu) and supported by 17 additional lawmakers.
According to a recent High Court ruling, Route 443 was due to be opened to Palestinians within about three months. Since then, various political figures have called for a law that would get around the court's decision.
The explanatory pages to the proposed bill note that the need for the law has arisen in the wake of the ruling, which determines that a road that has seen shooting attacks on Israelis in the past must be available to Palestinian use.
MK Matalon claims that opening Route 443 to Palestinians will mean that thousands of Israelis will avoid using it, and those who continue to drive on this road will be putting their lives in danger.
According to Matalon, the proposed bill is intended to alter the legal situation and enable Israelis to drive safely on this major route to the capital, Jerusalem.
"It is sad that there are Israelis who empathize with Palestinians on the pretext of concern for human rights, while the lives and safety of Israeli citizens are not even on their minds," he said.
