Norway expresses concern over Israeli outpost bill

Norway has expressed concern over a planned Israeli bill that would legalize thousands of homes in West Bank outposts.

Marit Berger Roesland of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that the proposed law “cast doubts about Israel’s declared support for the two-state solution.”

Another Scandinavian country, Sweden — whose relations with Israel have been strained since it recognized Palestinian statehood in 2014 — said last month that it is “deeply concerned” about the bill. Sweden said such actions are contrary to “Israeli and international law,” and “greatly undermine” the possibility of a two-state solution.

On Wednesday lawmakers approved the first reading of the controversial Regulation Bill in a late-night vote that followed a five-hour Knesset debate.

The bill was originally intended to avert the court-ordered demolition of Amona, in the central West Bank, which the the High Court of Justice has ruled must be evacuated by December 25 of this year. However, resistance from some coalition lawmakers to countermanding a direct ruling of the High Court led to an exception in the bill for any settlements that already have a court order set against them.

The legislation — slammed by the US, the EU and the UN as a breach of international law — stipulates that settlement construction in the West Bank that was carried out in good faith, without the knowledge that the land was privately owned, would be recognized by the government provided the settlers could show some kind of state support in establishing themselves at the site — which in some cases could be as minimal as having access to public infrastructures.

Under the bill, the government will be able to appropriate land for its own use if the owners are not known. If the owners are known, they will be eligible for either yearly damages amounting to 125 percent of the value of leasing the land, a larger financial package valued at 20 years’ worth of leasing the plots, or alternate plots.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has warned that the Regulation Bill breaches both local and international law, and indicated that the High Court is likely to strike it down. Some officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who voted for the bill along with all but one member of his coalition — have warned that the law could see Israeli officials prosecuted in the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The bill is expected to pass its final Knesset votes by December 14.

Attorneys for the government are expected on Sunday to ask the court for a one-month delay in the evacuation of Amona, Israel Radio reported Friday. The court has already rejected a petition to postpone the dismantling of the settlement, which was built on privately-owned Palestinian land, by eight months.

Netanyahu has said that a delay of the evacuation is needed to prepare temporary housing solutions for some 40 families that will be removed from their homes in the demolition.

Hundreds of Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers took part in a training exercise this week at an IDF base in southern Israel ahead of the evacuation. The training was conducted at the Tze’elim base in the Negev Desert. Simulations of various scenarios included the forcible evacuation of people passively resisting, as well violent reactions, according to a report on Israel’s Channel 2 News on Thursday.

The troops and officers also trained for a possible need to cordon off the illegal outpost to secure the evacuation.

On Thursday, supporters of Amona sent an email urging people from all over the country to come to the outpost to help stand in the way of its evacuation. The email suggested the evacuation would take place this Saturday evening, December 11, two weeks ahead of the date set by the High Court.

But sources close to Netanyahu said the evacuation would not take place on Saturday.