MKs pass bill stripping High Court’s power to adjudicate West Bank land disputes

The Knesset passes in its first reading, by 47 to 45, a bill that would strip the High Court of Justice of its jurisdiction in cases regarding West Bank land disputes.

The legislation would require Palestinians who claim ownership of land that has been built on by Israeli settlers to first petition the Jerusalem District Court.

Certain land ownership petitions would still be able to be heard by the High Court, but they would have to go through the district court first.

Although the official purpose of the bill is to lighten the load on the High Court, a Justice Ministry official told The Times of Israel in February that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked views the High Court as “overly concerned with international law and with protecting the rights of the ‘occupied’ population in Judea and Samaria.”

The Jerusalem District Court, however, is often more concerned with the testimonies of the specific case at hand, focusing less on broader geopolitical implications, the official explained.

After the plenum vote, opposition lawmakers warn that the bill is part of a larger drive to annex and expropriate parts of the West Bank.

— with Jacob Magid