High Court issues injunction on Homesh, demands state explain why it won’t demolish outpost

Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter

Illustrative: The High Court of Justice convenes in Jerusalem to discuss the potential evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Homesh, January 2, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Illustrative: The High Court of Justice convenes in Jerusalem to discuss the potential evacuation of the West Bank outpost of Homesh, January 2, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In a rebuke to the new government, the High Court of Justice demands the state explain why the illegal Homesh outpost should not be evacuated, after the government announced earlier today that it intends to legalize the settlement.

The court issues an injunction against the government, requiring the state to submit its explanation within 90 days, following a hearing on a petition by the left-wing Yesh Din organization seeking the evacuation of the site on behalf of the Palestinians who own the land on which Homesh is situated.

The court also demands the state explain why it should not take the necessary steps to grant the Palestinian landowners regular access to their land, something they have been systematically denied due to restrictions imposed by the IDF.

Yesh Din welcomes the injunction and argues that the government’s intention to repeal part of the 2005 Disengagement Law “would not change the fact that this is private Palestinian land.”

Representatives of Homesh demand in response that the government enact the necessary legislation to legalize Homesh, saying that “this would be the answer to the High Court’s wild behavior.”

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