Prosecutor's Office: Don't bypass court ruling on Ulpana
During meeting with senior cabinet members, including Mofaz, judicial officials reiterate objection to legislation that would bypass High Court deadline for Beit El neighborhood's evacuation
Netanyahu is under heavy pressure from rightist ministers and the Likud to push forward legislation that would bypass the High Court, thus preventing the Ulpana evacuation. Among the officials present at the meeting are Defense Minister Ehud Barak and ministers Moshe Ya'alon, Shaul Mofaz and Uzi Landau.
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In addition, IDF and judicial officials are also taking part in the meeting, led by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.
Givat Ulpana in Beit El
The sensitivity surrounding the issue of the Ulpana neighborhood stems mainly from the fact that many families live in the buildings which have been marked for evacuation. "I don't like the idea of passing a law, but in the situation that has been created there is no choice," said a senior Likud minister before the meeting.
"We need to act in a manner that will provide a solution for normative people who serve in the IDF and who have lived there for many years. The state made a mistake when it presented its stance before the High Court, it (the State) determined these peoples' fate," he added. The legal establishment is opposed to the idea of a bypassing law.
Speaking to Ynet regional radio before the meeting, the spokesman for the Ulpana neighborhood said: "You can bypass the High Court and you can say that in its ruling the High Court bypassed the government, but that isn't necessarily the solution.
"Ultimately there is a nation here that needs to be led and sovereignty must be enforced. The role of the prime minister is to make sure that the nation can stand on its feet. If a person already lives in a house built in good faith, the government, which was a partner in its construction, can simply compensate the petitioner with a different piece of land."
The High Court denied the State's petition to review the case and postpone the evacuation, imposing a July 1 deadline for its razing.
In his ruling, Chief Justice Asher Grunis admonished the State, saying that "It is in the State's proceedings vis-à-vis the High Court that its commitment to upholding the principles of law, is measured."
Several Likud ministers are adamant that a solution must be found to prevent the eviction of the neighborhood's 30 families, while Kadima insists that the High Court's ruling on the matter be upheld in full.
Officials who took part in the meeting described the issue as extremely complex and sensitive. They said representatives from the State Prosecutor's Office and the Attorney General's Office reiterated their objection to legislation that would bypass the High Court's ruling on Ulpana.
Aviad Glickman, Roi Weinberg, Ynet regional radio, contributed to the report
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