Supreme Court Justices Noam Solberg, Ofer Grosskopf, and Alex Stein rejected this evening (Tuesday) the state's request to postpone the response to the petition to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar by an additional four months - and granted the state only about two months' extension.
The discussion on the issue was scheduled for early May.
The judges criticized his decision: "The extension before us - the ninth in number; the petition has been pending - for almost 4 full years. We have expressed our displeasure with the 'foot-dragging' again and again, in a long line of decisions; there is no need to elaborate too much. Suffice it to say that our opinion is not at all comfortable with the conduct of the state's respondents, which even contradicts itself in every way.".
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""On the one hand, it has been repeatedly claimed, including in the extension request before us, that 'the political echelon remains steadfast in its position that the rule of law requires the implementation of the demolition orders in the Khan al-Ahmar compound'; and on the other hand, the respondents' actions so far seemingly show the opposite - that they are comfortable with the current situation. Every few months, an extension request will be submitted, the petitioner will oppose it, the court will grant it, even if through gritted teeth, and the world, as is its custom, 'decides not to decide.'".
""This course of action, perhaps possible in certain cases, outside the walls of the court, but is unacceptable to us. There is no justification for such a long delay, delay leads to delay, and there is no substantive answer.".
The Regavim movement, which filed the petition against the state, responded to the High Court's decision: "Even on such a cold day, the High Court should not pull the chestnuts out of the fire for the Israeli government.
""The government should formulate a work plan for the evacuation and enforcement of the law in Khan al-Ahmar, as part of the struggle against the Palestinian Authority's institutionalized takeover of the open areas in Judea and Samaria.".
""The State of Israel must behave like the owner of the house, even in the face of American pressure, otherwise no one in the world will take the State of Israel seriously.".
