Government asks court to accept Amona agreement
In response to a petition filed by human rights group Yesh Din against the Amona agreement, the Israeli government asks the High Court to accept the agreement and reject petition due to 'security concerns'; quoting The Hague, the state says, 'The authority to rule is in practice transferred to the occupier.'
The Israeli government asked the High Court of Justice (HCJ) on Monday to accept the compromise Amona agreement and reject a petition filed by human rights organization Yesh Din asking that the agreement be rejected as it ignores the rights of Palestinian land owners.
Yesh Din's petition, submitted on behalf of Palestinians from the village of Silwad, asks that the court reject the agreement reached between the government and the Amona settlers due to be evacuated, citing that the government plans to relocate them onto land that is also owned by Palestinians.
The Amona settlers are due to be evacuated and relocated. The government stated that it asks the court to accept the agreement out of a peacekeeping concern
The Israeli government relied on Article 43 in the Hague Convention, which stated, "The authority to rule is in practice transferred over to the occupier. As such, it must do everything in its power to maintain public security and order under the law."
The High Court is to decide whether to accept Yesh Din's petition against the Amona agreement on Tuesday. The court could also decide to issue an injunction to temporarily block the agreement's implementation, which would affect the evacuation due to take place on February 7.
The state added that at present, alternative actions are being considered, such as relocating the evacuated settlers to another, temporary location in the West Bank's Binyamin Region.
In response to the state's request, Yesh Din issued a statement, saying that "The state's claim that the Amona agreement is meant to maintain public order and that there are no other agreed upon, peaceful alternatives ignores the High Court's clear finding, and goes as far as to completely ignore the damage caused to the Palestinians' right of ownership. The court should not give into the threats of lawbreakers by canceling the illegal agreement that is solely meant to appease the residents of Amona."
On Sunday, Ynet revealed that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not defend the Regulation Bill if it were to pass a plenum vote. He also told the Security Cabinet that as Amona settlers have reneged on their previous commitment to evacuate peacefully, Mandelblit would not represent the government in its petition before the HCJ unless the settlers agree once more to leave without violence. Following his statements, the settlers of Amona issued a statement, promising to evacuate "without any violence, confrontation or resistance."
