Ministers delay discussion of outpost bill

At Netanyahu's request, Committee on Legislative Affairs postpones debate on outpost evacuation bill by three months

Aviad Glickman|Published: 01.01.12 , 16:34

The Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs on Sunday postponed a discussion on an outpost evacuation bill by three months.

The bill states that an outpost would only be evacuated after a final verdict on the land it is built on. Head of the committee, Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman, explained the discussion was delayed at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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All of the ministers voted in favor of postponing the discussion except for Science and Technology Minister Daniel Hershkowitz (Habayit Hayehudi).

The new bill aims to strip illegal outposts in the West Bank, stating that a military order to that effect does not stand up to legal scrutiny and that such evictions must be court ordered. The proposed legislation has already been criticized as an attempt by the Right to hinder legal proceedings concerning illegal outposts.

Currently, the IDF – and especially the GOC Central Command – can order the eviction or razing of an illegal West Bank outpost, which the residents often appeal in the High Court.

The new bill essentially aims to revoke the defense establishment's ability to make such decisions and demands that it be left to the discretion of the courts.