Lag in state bid to delay Amona evacuation is ‘problematic,’ court says

With just four days remaining until a court-imposed deadline, the government has yet to officially ask the High Court of Justice for a delay in the evacuation of Amona, two days after it promised residents of the West Bank outpost to do so as part of a deal for them to leave the settlement peacefully.

Presenting the petition so close to the final date for the evacuation could be “problematic,” leaving judges with little time to properly consider the request, a spokesperson for the court told The Times of Israel.

Amona is the largest of about 100 unauthorized outposts — erected without permission but generally tolerated by the government — that dot the West Bank. In December 2014, after multiple appeals and delays, the court ordered the outpost be evacuated within two years, or no later than December 25 of this year.

Residents of Amona voted Sunday to accept a proposal that would see 24 of the 41 families moved to an adjacent plot of land while the government worked toward building permanent homes for all residents and creating a new settlement in the area.

In addition, the state said it would ask the High Court for a 30-day delay of the evacuation, which currently has to be carried out by Saturday, in order to prepare temporary housing solutions for the families slated to be evicted.

Including the extension in the agreement appeared to have been used as bargaining chip by the government, with the immediate threat of evacuation looming if the deal was not signed.

While government officials floated the idea of requesting an extension two weeks ago, a spokesman for the Justice Ministry said “political reasons” have held up the request.

A spokesman for Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said the petition would be filed “imminently,” but refused to say when exactly.

While the court has already rejected a petition to postpone the dismantling of the settlement, which it ruled was built on privately owned Palestinian land, residents believe the latest request is likely to be accepted due to their agreement to leave peacefully.

A spokesperson for the court, however, said leaving the request so close to the evacuation date created a precarious situation.

“It’s problematic because we are now expected to give an immediate response but not everyone will be available to give a response today or even tomorrow,” the spokesperson said. “But as usual, the state is in no rush.”

No court debate is required for judges to rule on the request but they would be obligated to ask the anti-settlement group Yesh Din, who originally petitioned the court against Amona, for their response.

A spokesman for the group told the Times of Israel on Tuesday that it would oppose the request.