Ulpana settlers march on Jerusalem
Hundreds of Beit El neighborhood's residents march towards capital in protest of impending eviction. 'We're people, not puppets,' they say
Hundreds of settlers from Ulpana began marching from the Beit El neighborhood towards Jerusalem on Monday, in protest of their impending eviction.
The marchers, most of them teenage girls, plan to march the protest tent set up outside the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, where dozens of Ulpana residents are staging a hunger strike.
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Ulpana resident Yoel Fatal told Ynet that "We demand that the prime minister put a stop to the (political) spins devised at the expense of the neighborhood. We refused to be evicted.
"We are people, not puppets. Passing the settlement regulation bill is the only possible solution."
The settlement regulation bill aims to resolve the contested status of five of Ulpana's homes, by giving them retroactive permits.
(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his plan for the relocation of the contested houses to a military zone located several hundreds yards away, within Beit El's limits.
Netanyahu said he opposed the bill, which is meant to circumvent a High Court ruling ordering Ulpana's eviction.
The plan is still pending the approval of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein. Senior legal sources told Ynet that the current proposal was riddled with legal issues, most notably, the use of a military zone for civilian housing purposes.
The Knesset is set to vote on the settlement regulation bill on Wednesday. MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi), who drafted the bill, said that should it fail to pass the House vote, he will recommend his faction to resign from the Coalition.
Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin announced Monday that he will support the bill.
"This is a matter of conscience, a matter of the utmost importance. I expect that (the Knesset) will have a heated debate on the vote, but we will make sure to maintain the order and will not let the session be overrun by emotions.
"The decision will be final and mandatory," he added. "We must make sure that the bill serves the interests of justice. You can't right a wrong be creating a new wrong."
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