Israel Matzav

Supreme Court seethes over 'last minute' Migron deal

One of Yogi Berra's more famous sayings was 'it ain't over 'til it's over.' Israel's Supreme Court lives in its own fantasy world where that saying doesn't apply if it favors what the court doesn't. The court, which has turned itself into the arbiter of blatantly political questions over the last 20 years, seethed on Thursday, over the 'last minute' deal made by the residents of the Migron 'outpost' with the government, which would allow the revenants to stay on the site until 2015, and then move two kilometers away to another location in Samaria - thereby ensuring that the court's real goal of reducing the number of revenants will not be met.

Justices Salim Joubran and Miriam Naor slammed the state, saying that they made their request at the "last minute," after the court had already ended its discussion of the petition. They also criticized the state for failing to include the Palestinian landowners in its negotiations with the settlers.

Yes, that would be the same Salim Jubran who refused to sing HaTikva - the country's national anthem - at the changing of the Supreme Court's guard last month.

And by the way, why did the 'Palestinian landowners' need to be part of the negotiations? Has their ownership ever been proven? (The revenants argue that it has not been proven). But even if it has been proven, why should they be a party? So that they could refuse every offer and make sure the deal would not happen? Are they going to decide whether the revenants move two kilometers away or 20 kilometers away? If they're entitled to compensation, let the state pay them compensation! In fact, in a normal country without a 'Supreme Court' like ours, the revenants would have been allowed to stay and the landowners - if their ownership is proven - would have been paid compensation.

The outpost, located in the Binyamin region of the West Bank, 5 km. north of Jerusalem, was first constructed in 2002, with NIS 4.3 million from the Construction and Housing Ministry but without the proper authorization.

That's the problem with this country. The government (and the branja) don't have to live with the consequences of their mistakes. They just say 'ta'inu' (we made a mistake) and take back whatever it is that they accidentally gave you. Throwing people out of their homes is not an acceptable solution, even if they spent the last five and a half years fighting about it.

Migron settlers have argued that the outpost was built with initial approvals from the government, even though final permits were never issued. They have said the status of their land was never properly adjudicated.

And that is probably true (I don't have firsthand knowledge). There are literally dozens of places in this country that lack proper title. One of my regular readers keeps telling me that we ought to produce a title map. Well, I doubt that the government could do it even if it were inclined to do so. I have been living in my home for nearly 16 years and am still waiting for the piece of paper that says we own it. And technically, all we own is an interest in a 99-year ground lease and the building on top of it.

You can't make this stuff up. And the 'Supreme Court' is complaining that the government only reaches solutions at the last minute. Feh,

Labels: Migron, revenants, Supreme Court

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:18 PM