Fake Justice: The Responsibility of the Israeli Supreme Court Judges for Demolition of Palestinian Houses

A report issued by Betselem organization, shows how judges of the supreme court enabled Israel to continue implementing a policy violating law. The judges repeatedly ignored the fact that Planning Entity imposes semi-complete ban on Palestinian construction in order to allow Israel take over the largest possible space of Palestinian land.

The report was issued under the title “Fake justice:  The Responsibility of the Israeli Supreme Court Judges for Demolition of Palestinian Houses and their ways”. It is based on an inclusive study on hundreds of appeal applications by the court, as well as verdicts issued by them regarding the issue of demolishing Palestinian houses in the West Bank. The report shows that the judges have not approved any of the appeal application initiated by Palestinians.

The planning entity established by Israel leads to limit Palestinian construction in the West Bank, while allowing for more confiscation of Palestinian land. In November, during a meeting held by the external sub-committee and security in Knesset, brigadier general Ben Hour Avour confessed that “there is no plan for Palestinian construction at this time, because of instruction given by political leadership”.

This policy is reflected clearly in the inputs of the civil administration: in the period between December 2000 and mid of 2016, the civil administration didn’t approve except for 4% of the construction license application submitted by Palestinians.

The period between 1988 and 2017, Israel issued 16,796 orders to demolish buildings established by Palestinians. The report indicates that between 2006 and 2018, Israel demolished at least 1401 Palestinian houses in the West Bank, excluding Jerusalem. Such demolitions resulted in displacing more than 6207 Palestinians, including 134 minors, who have no shelters.

Over years, Palestinians have applied hundreds of petitions to the supreme court, demanding cancelling the demolition orders issued by the civil administration.  In all petitions, the judges accepted the claim by the state saying that the issue is related to implementing law, while ignoring the fact that Israel policy violates norms and terms of the international law.

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