Justices lambaste Ulpana petition as questioning begins

High Court justices have leveled criticism on Sunday at the government’s request to renew the debate over the demolition of 10 buildings in the Givat Ulpana neighborhood, according to Israel Radio.

Justice Uzi Fogelman said: “There is [already] a judgment….This means that in each ruling the state can come and request to reopen it.”

The High Court is considering the government’s request to postpone by 90 days the eviction of several buildings in the controversial Givat Ulpana neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El. The buildings, which the court ruled were built on Palestinian-owned land, were scheduled to be torn down on May 1 by court order.

A representative of the state attorney general said the request was “very very exceptional,” but Justice Salim Joubran expressed concern that “the exception will become the rule.”

Michael Sfard, an attorney with the civil rights group Yesh Din, which is representing the Palestinian landowners, offered a harsh critique of the state’s petition, alleging that “the government is trying to buy time, behaving like an addicted gambler.”

High Court president Asher Grunis ruled in favor of hearing the government’s motion, despite a letter published last week by several prominent jurists criticizing the government’s request for an extension on the High Court order.

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According to the letter, the fact that the High Court is being asked to reopen a closed case and delay the demolition for 90 days in accordance with the government’s request is tantamount to “destruction of the rule of law.”

The petition was signed by several prominent jurists, who offered harsh criticism of the court and the government, stating that the decision to stay the demolition was dangerous and unprecedented, and would erode the court’s standing.

A related Supreme Court ruling on April 29 gave the government a further 60-day period to tackle a dispute over two other Beit El buildings and may signal how the court will act over the Ulpana structures, according to the lawyer representing the Palestinian landowners in the case.

The extension petition has been criticized by left-wing politicians and civil rights organizations, who said it showed the government’s contempt for the court, while right-wingers and settler representatives welcomed the move and said they were confident the court would rule in their favor.

Mitch Ginsburg contributed to this report.