1 day ago
Israeli Court Clears Key West Bank Settlement Project to Proceed
An Israeli court allowed a major settlement project in the West Bank to move forward for now.
The project is called E1 and is planned east of Jerusalem.
Israel opened bids for more than 1,200 homes in July.
Rights groups asked the court to stop the bidding process.
They said the project could force hundreds of Palestinians to leave.
They also warned it could make a future Palestinian state harder to connect.
The court said building would not cause irreversible changes immediately.
It said there was still time for courts to make a final decision before construction began.
Several European countries had previously asked Israel to stop the project.
The Jerusalem District Court rejected rights groups’ request to halt tenders for the E1 settlement project.
Israel’s construction and housing ministry opened tenders in July for more than 1,200 housing units.
The E1 plan would further isolate Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.
Peace Now and other NGOs warned the project could lead to the eviction of hundreds of Palestinians.
The court said no irreversible physical changes were imminent and legal safeguards remained available.
- Who
- The Jerusalem District Court, Israel’s construction and housing ministry, Peace Now, and other rights groups are involved.
- What
- The court rejected a request to halt tenders for the E1 West Bank settlement project.
- Where
- The project is planned east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank.
- When
- The ruling was issued on Tuesday; the ministry opened the tender in July.
- Why
- Rights groups sought to stop the project because they said it could displace Palestinians and undermine the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state; the court said no irreversible physical changes were imminent.
Rights Groups and European Critics
Israeli Court and Project Supporters
Impact on Palestinian statehood
Rights Groups and European Critics
Rights groups said the E1 project would severely undermine the territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state and further isolate east Jerusalem from the West Bank.
Israeli Court and Project Supporters
The court did not accept that the tender process needed to be halted immediately and said a final ruling could be issued before construction began.
Risk of displacement
Rights Groups and European Critics
Peace Now and other NGOs argued that the project could lead to the eviction of hundreds of Palestinians.
Israeli Court and Project Supporters
The court said no irreversible physical changes were imminent and that adequate legal safeguards were in place.
Timing of development
Rights Groups and European Critics
The NGOs said the decision allowed the government to establish facts on the ground that would be extremely difficult to reverse.
Israeli Court and Project Supporters
The ruling maintained that courts could still make a permanent decision on the project as a whole before physical construction started.
Key facts
- Project
- E1 settlement plan east of Jerusalem
- Housing units
- More than 1,200 units included in the July tender
- Court
- Jerusalem District Court
- Petitioners
- Peace Now and other rights groups
- Court reasoning
- No irreversible physical changes were imminent and legal safeguards were available
- European response
- Six European countries, including the United Kingdom and France, called on Israel to halt the project in August
- West Bank population
- More than 500,000 settlers live alongside about three million Palestinians, according to the article
Quotes
Israeli NGOs including Peace Now
Organizations that petitioned against the settlement tenders and reacted to the court ruling.
“The court's decision plays into the government's hands, allowing it to use the final months of its term to establish facts on the ground that will create a destructive reality which will be extremely difficult to reverse”
deccanchronicle.com
“no irreversible physical changes are imminent, and adequate legal safeguards are in place”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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