Israel's Top Court Strikes Down West Bank Land Seizure Law
Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law that would have allowed the government to seize hundreds of hectares in the occupied West Bank.
The 2017 law would have allowed the state to expropriate, in exchange for financial compensation, private land in the West Bank on which settlers have built without official Israeli authorization.
It sparked outrage among Palestinians.
But was suspended when Israeli and Palestinian rights groups asked the court to examine its validity in Israeli law.
The legislation aims to legalize under Israeli law settlements not recognized by the state and spare them from court-ordered demolitions.
All Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories it seized in the 1967 Six Day War, are considered illegal under international law.
The minister dealing with settlements, Tzipi Hotoveli, said the Supreme Court had "declared war on the right of Jews to settle in the land of Israel".
"The best response to the court is annexation and continued construction," she said in a statement.
One of the NGOs that brought the case to court, rights group Adala, said the decision was "important" as Israel threatens to annex parts of the West Bank.
"The court ruled that the Israeli parliament cannot pass laws that violate international humanitarian law," Adala said in a statement.
International law bans states from moving their civilian population into occupied territories.
Most nations see Israel's decades-long settlement enterprise in the West Bank as an obstacle to peace.
Israel is preparing to potentially move forward next month with annexing its West Bank settlements and the Jordan Valley.
A peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in January gave the green light for such annexations as well as creating a reduced Palestinian state, crucially lacking a capital in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians have rejected the proposals which they see as heavily biased towards Israel.
Many right-wing Israelis are urging the government to annex all existing settlements in the West Bank, regardless of the outcome of the American plan.
12 June 2020, 18:42
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Either the court has no rationale for its dislike of this particular land question or AFP prefers not to get too involved. AFP would not like to say that, if you want law, legality, and legitimacy, don't expect any colonial enterprises to fill the bill, especially one based explicitly on racism. Actually, AFP, one-third paid for by the French government, would love to say this, but what would the fellows think?
