Major Eliraz Peretz
Photo: Elad Gershgoren
Barak: Delay State's response on outpost razing
Defense minister asks High Court to postpone discussion on demolition of fallen soldier's house due to 'shock and tragedy'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak
sent a letter to Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish on Wednesday, asking her to delay a High Court of Justice discussion on the demolition of 18 permanent buildings in the illegal West Bank outpost of Givat Hayovel, near the settlement of Eli.
Peretz was the neighbor of Major Roi Klein, who was killed in the Second Lebanon War
while jumping on a grenade to defend his soldiers and was decorated as a war hero after his death. The two fallen soldiers' widows and orphans still live in the outpost. The rest of the residents are also members of the security forces.
Ynet revealed recently that one of the residents of Givat Hayovel was Major Eliraz Peretz, who died last month in an exchange of fire in Gaza.
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The State Prosecutor's Office was required to inform the Supreme Court of a timetable for demolishing the outpost's houses by May 1. Barak noted in his letter that Major Peretz, who lived with his wife and four children in one of those houses, was killed in an exchange of fire three weeks ago. He asked for the court's permission to postpone the State's response by six months.
The defense minister added in his letter that this was the second time the Peretz family suffered such a tragedy, as another son, Uriel Peretz, was killed in Lebanon 12 years.
"The shock and tragedy which hit this small community require a sensitive and humane treatment of the house demolition issue. Dealing with the demolition dates at this time should be postponed to a later date," he wrote.
On Monday evening, 35 lawmakers belonging to the Land of Israel Lobby in the Knesset sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that he prevent the demolition of the Givat Hayovel and Harasha outposts.
A demolition order had been issued for the 18 permanent structures in the outposts, and in February the High Court instructed the State to set a timeline for their demolition within 60 days.
