Politicians lambaste court for staying home demolitions

The High Court decision to freeze the demolition of several accused terrorist’s homes has drawn harsh rebuke from Israeli politicians on the right, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu calls for the court to quickly reverse its decision though he strangely makes his case by referring to suicide attackers, despite the fact that all the suspected terrorists whose homes were slated to be raised are still alive.

“We have policies of exacting a price from suicide attackers,” Netanyahu says, explaining that if they are dead they cannot be punished. “Our problem is the disconnect between the action and the result. Therefore, we are explicitly asking to shorten the gap, and I also hope the High Court will decide as quickly as possible — and in general they do decide to demolish. It’s preferable to do this close to the act and within a few days.”

Others are less diplomatic, like Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who accuses the court of “breaking its record of absurdity.”

They aren’t the only ones getting in the Guinness book.

The Jewish Home party accuses the New Israel Fund, which brought the petition to stay the home demolitions, of “breaking a record of hatred of Israel.”

Party leader Naftali Bennett urges the court to revoke the injunction quickly, saying that Israel is in “a state of emergency, and it’s high time the judges on the court realized that.”