24 june 2018

Niv Assraf and Eran Naguaker fined NIS 5,000 and NIS 2,500 respectively for faking abduction in 2015 in Hebron in order to resolve financial troubles; community service also given for incident which took place shortly after kidnapping of 3 Israeli teens by Hamas terrorists.
Niv Assraf, a Be'er Sheva resident who faked his own abduction by Palestinians near Hebron in April 2015, was ordered on Sunday to serve six months of community service by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. He also will have to pay a NIS 5,000 fine.
Assraf’s accomplice, Eran Naguaker, was sentenced to three months of community service and ordered to pay a NIS 2,500 fine.
The two confessed and were convicted in a plea deal for providing a false message and obtaining gains by deception. As part of the deal the prosecution decided to drop the more serious charge of accepting goods by fraudulent means.
The prosecution, which hoped for a prison sentence, asked for delay in the execution of a sentence which was granted by the court. From the moment the sentence takes effect, the prosecution will have a month and a half in order to appeal the verdict.
The judge, Ohad Gordon, wrote in the verdict, “The defendants committed serious crimes and exploited the country's main aspects: first, the necessity of dealing with constant security risks faced by our society and our sons from Israel’s enemies—the risk which we all live with, and which could extract a heavy price from us at any moment.
"Second, the value of mutual cooperation in our society, which is reflected by the willingness to help those who are in trouble, and which also comes at a price and comes at a price of public resources," concluded the judge.
Efrat Filtzer-Bizman from Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, said “Niv Assraf and Eran Naguaker were convicted of providing a false message of abduction for financial gains, which resulted in many security forces being called into Hebron.
“The prosecution asked for a prison sentence for the defendants in light of the severity of the act—the endangerment of the lives of security forces involved with the rescue mission, as well as resources that were invested in order to locate the two—justifies a more serious punishment,” added the attorney.
“It’s a premeditated act that was planned on the day of the kidnapping and lasted for many hours in a very sensitive area, only months after the kidnapping of the three teenagers ... The prosecution will study the verdict and consider its options,” she exclaimed.
The two decided to fake the abduction less than a year after the kidnapping of the three teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Frankel.
Naguaker who was at the time in the military, called the police and said that Assraf has disappeared near Hebron after leaving his vehicle there. The call prompted the police to launch an emergency investigation over fears of a kidnapping.
Many security forces, including soldiers, special units and aircrafts were called into the area.
Following an eight hour search, Assarf was found near Kiryat Arba, and during the investigation confessed to staging the kidnapping in order to resolve financial troubles.
As a result, Assraf and Naguaker were charged with providing a false message and accepting goods by fraudulent means. In the indictment, it said that on the day of the fake kidnapping, during a car ride to Kiryat Arba, Assraf told Naguaker about his intentions to disappear.
Following a break-up with his girlfriend, Assraf hoped that the news of the kidnapping would lead her to care for him again.
Once the two reached their destination, they began contemplating how to stage the disappearance and started looking for a hideout. It was decided that Assraf would leave the vehicle for the hideout and leave his cellphone in the car in order to avoid being located.
Later on, Naguaker left Kiryat Arba, stopped on the side of the road, changed a deflated tire and went back to Kiryat Arba. There he approached a police car and reported to an officer that his friend had exited the car, started walking towards an Arab village and did not come back. The officer instructed him to call the emergency services.
In addition to the criminal charges, a civil trial is also being conducted against Assraf and Naguaker, in which they are being sued for NIS 625,000 for falsely alerting security forces.
Eran Naguaker’s attorney Idan Gamlieli said that his client has shown remorse for his acts.
“Eran regrets the incident and emphasized that he did not intend to cause public hysteria. The court accepted his pleas and gave him an appropriate punishment in light of similar offences, personal circumstances and because he’s a young man with no criminal record who will rehabilitate his life.”
Niv Assraf, a Be'er Sheva resident who faked his own abduction by Palestinians near Hebron in April 2015, was ordered on Sunday to serve six months of community service by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. He also will have to pay a NIS 5,000 fine.
Assraf’s accomplice, Eran Naguaker, was sentenced to three months of community service and ordered to pay a NIS 2,500 fine.
The two confessed and were convicted in a plea deal for providing a false message and obtaining gains by deception. As part of the deal the prosecution decided to drop the more serious charge of accepting goods by fraudulent means.
The prosecution, which hoped for a prison sentence, asked for delay in the execution of a sentence which was granted by the court. From the moment the sentence takes effect, the prosecution will have a month and a half in order to appeal the verdict.
The judge, Ohad Gordon, wrote in the verdict, “The defendants committed serious crimes and exploited the country's main aspects: first, the necessity of dealing with constant security risks faced by our society and our sons from Israel’s enemies—the risk which we all live with, and which could extract a heavy price from us at any moment.
"Second, the value of mutual cooperation in our society, which is reflected by the willingness to help those who are in trouble, and which also comes at a price and comes at a price of public resources," concluded the judge.
Efrat Filtzer-Bizman from Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, said “Niv Assraf and Eran Naguaker were convicted of providing a false message of abduction for financial gains, which resulted in many security forces being called into Hebron.
“The prosecution asked for a prison sentence for the defendants in light of the severity of the act—the endangerment of the lives of security forces involved with the rescue mission, as well as resources that were invested in order to locate the two—justifies a more serious punishment,” added the attorney.
“It’s a premeditated act that was planned on the day of the kidnapping and lasted for many hours in a very sensitive area, only months after the kidnapping of the three teenagers ... The prosecution will study the verdict and consider its options,” she exclaimed.
The two decided to fake the abduction less than a year after the kidnapping of the three teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Frankel.
Naguaker who was at the time in the military, called the police and said that Assraf has disappeared near Hebron after leaving his vehicle there. The call prompted the police to launch an emergency investigation over fears of a kidnapping.
Many security forces, including soldiers, special units and aircrafts were called into the area.
Following an eight hour search, Assarf was found near Kiryat Arba, and during the investigation confessed to staging the kidnapping in order to resolve financial troubles.
As a result, Assraf and Naguaker were charged with providing a false message and accepting goods by fraudulent means. In the indictment, it said that on the day of the fake kidnapping, during a car ride to Kiryat Arba, Assraf told Naguaker about his intentions to disappear.
Following a break-up with his girlfriend, Assraf hoped that the news of the kidnapping would lead her to care for him again.
Once the two reached their destination, they began contemplating how to stage the disappearance and started looking for a hideout. It was decided that Assraf would leave the vehicle for the hideout and leave his cellphone in the car in order to avoid being located.
Later on, Naguaker left Kiryat Arba, stopped on the side of the road, changed a deflated tire and went back to Kiryat Arba. There he approached a police car and reported to an officer that his friend had exited the car, started walking towards an Arab village and did not come back. The officer instructed him to call the emergency services.
In addition to the criminal charges, a civil trial is also being conducted against Assraf and Naguaker, in which they are being sued for NIS 625,000 for falsely alerting security forces.
Eran Naguaker’s attorney Idan Gamlieli said that his client has shown remorse for his acts.
“Eran regrets the incident and emphasized that he did not intend to cause public hysteria. The court accepted his pleas and gave him an appropriate punishment in light of similar offences, personal circumstances and because he’s a young man with no criminal record who will rehabilitate his life.”
18 june 2018

Business owner from Kiryat Ono arrested for selling NIS 103,500 worth of fireworks to an east Jerusalem man aware of his intentions to harm security forces and Jewish locals.
An owner of a business which sells fireworks from Kiryat Ono was recently arrested on suspicion of selling more than 20,000 fireworks to a resident from eastern Jerusalem, which were likely intended to be used against Israeli security forces.
The deal was allegedly conducted despite the fact that the owner was aware of the buyer’s intention, which was also to harm Jewish residents in East Jerusalem. The intermediary in the deal was also arrested during a police operation.
In total, the three men, including the buyer, were arrested after a months-long undercover police investigation.
The supplier is said to be a 70-year-old man, while the the buyer and the intermediary are both residents of eastern Jerusalem. The arrest of the three suspects was initially extended but the court ordered that they be released and put under house arrest.
The three were apprehended by the police during the transaction, with 690 packs containing 20,700 fireworks worth NIS 103,500.
The Ministry of Labor has revoked the store’s business license following the arrest.
The suspect in the case is known to the police and has purchased fireworks from a Jewish-owned business before for the same purpose. The seller, in that case from Ashdod, also admitted to knowing the client's intent.
Shooting fireworks at security forces has become a regular occurence in east Jerusalem, prompting in many cases police to conduct waves of arrests in order to catch the suspects.
In the latest incident, the police arrested not only the perpetrators but the suppliers as well.
Yehuda Shushan, the attorney of the suspected intermediary said, “We’re talking about a legal affair which has been blown out of proportion by the Israel Police. My client—who doesn't have a criminal record, bought the fireworks legally for personal use. The accusation that he allegedly was involved in an illegal explosives trade are unfounded.”
An owner of a business which sells fireworks from Kiryat Ono was recently arrested on suspicion of selling more than 20,000 fireworks to a resident from eastern Jerusalem, which were likely intended to be used against Israeli security forces.
The deal was allegedly conducted despite the fact that the owner was aware of the buyer’s intention, which was also to harm Jewish residents in East Jerusalem. The intermediary in the deal was also arrested during a police operation.
In total, the three men, including the buyer, were arrested after a months-long undercover police investigation.
The supplier is said to be a 70-year-old man, while the the buyer and the intermediary are both residents of eastern Jerusalem. The arrest of the three suspects was initially extended but the court ordered that they be released and put under house arrest.
The three were apprehended by the police during the transaction, with 690 packs containing 20,700 fireworks worth NIS 103,500.
The Ministry of Labor has revoked the store’s business license following the arrest.
The suspect in the case is known to the police and has purchased fireworks from a Jewish-owned business before for the same purpose. The seller, in that case from Ashdod, also admitted to knowing the client's intent.
Shooting fireworks at security forces has become a regular occurence in east Jerusalem, prompting in many cases police to conduct waves of arrests in order to catch the suspects.
In the latest incident, the police arrested not only the perpetrators but the suppliers as well.
Yehuda Shushan, the attorney of the suspected intermediary said, “We’re talking about a legal affair which has been blown out of proportion by the Israel Police. My client—who doesn't have a criminal record, bought the fireworks legally for personal use. The accusation that he allegedly was involved in an illegal explosives trade are unfounded.”

Gonen Segev, who lived in Nigeria in recent years, was recruited as an agent of Iranian intelligence, providing Tehran with information on Israel's energy industry, security sites in the country, different facilities and political and military officials.
Former minister Gonen Segev was indicted last week for spying on the State of Israel for Iran, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet said Monday.
Segev was charged with espionage, aiding an enemy in war time, as well as providing information to the enemy.
Segev, the former energy and infrastructure minister, is suspected of providing Tehran with information on Israel's energy industry, security sites in the country, different facilities and political and military officials, among other things.
The former minister, who has been living in Nigeria in recent years where he worked as a doctor, tried to enter Equatorial Guinea in May 2018, where he was refused entry because of his criminal past and consequently transferred to Israel.
He was arrested and interrogated by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police after intelligence gathered on him raised the suspicion he was in contact with Iranian intelligence and aiding them in their activities against Israel.
The investigation found that Segev was recruited and was operated as an agent of the Iranian intelligence. He was first contacted by Iranian embassy officials in Nigeria in 2012, and at a later stage traveled to Iran twice for meetings with his handlers—while being fully aware they belonged to Iranian intelligence.
Segev did not deny the allegations leveled against him during his investigation, but claimed that he attempted to help Israel by “obtaining information.”
Over the years as an Iranian agent, Segev met with his handlers in apartments and hotels around the world, which he told interrogators he believed are used for covert Iranian activity.
He also received an encrypted communications system to conceal the exchange of messages between him and his handlers.
To obtain the information he was asked for by his Iranian handlers, Segev maintained contacts with Israelis who have ties to Israeli security, defense and foreign relations. He worked to put the Israeli officials in contact with Iranian intelligence elements, while trying to deceive them and present the Iranians as innocuous businessmen.
Segev was indicted on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court. The court accepted a request by the Shin Bet and Israel Police to release some details about the case, while the rest are under gag order. He remains under arrest until further notice, with his next court hearing scheduled for July 9.
Segev's attorneys, Eli Zohav and Moshe Mazor, said that the details released "make matters appear very grave, even though the indictment—the majority of which is still under gag order—portrays a different picture."
Who is Gonen Segev?
Segev was first elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992 as part of Rafael Eitan's Tzomet party, where he served as an opposition MK and a member of the Knesset's Finance Committee.
In February 1994, Segev and two other MKs split from Tzomet and formed the Yiud faction. In January 1995, Segev became the minister of energy and infrastructure in Yitzhak Rabin's government and continued holding the post in Shimon Peres' government after Rabin's assassination.
After his political career, Segev became a businessman.
In 2002, Israel's security services uncovered a Hezbollah plot to kidnap Israeli citizens—with Segev among them—to Lebanon to be used as bargaining chips for negotiations on prisoner swaps.
Qais Hassan Kamal Obeid, an Israeli citizen from Taybeh who moved to Lebanon, tried to lure the Israelis to travel abroad by promising them easy money for criminal endeavors.
At the time, Segev said he received a warning from the Shin Bet about the plot, claiming he didn't know why he was being targeted.
In November 2003, he withdrew NIS 20,387 worth of cash from ATM machines in Hong Kong using an Isracard credit card. He called Isracard and reported his card stolen, claiming he did not make the withdrawals. Security cameras on the ATMs showed he was lying.
He was convicted of attempting to fraudulently obtain benefits and of credit card fraud. He was given probation and was the choice between paying a NIS 50,000 fine or serving three months in prison. He appealed the decision to the district court, which rejected the appeal of the conviction but decided to cancel the fine.
He was arrested in April 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy tablets from Amsterdam to Israel, claiming he thought they were M&M's.
He was also charged with illegally extending his diplomatic passport with a pencil to avoid being subjected to a search by Dutch airport authorities.
In March 2005, he was convicted of forgery and attempted drug smuggling in a plea deal and sentenced to five years in prison, two years of probation and a $27,500 fine. He was released in June 2007 after having a third reduced for good behavior.
As a result of his conviction, Segev had his medical license revoked in February 2007.
Former minister Gonen Segev was indicted last week for spying on the State of Israel for Iran, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet said Monday.
Segev was charged with espionage, aiding an enemy in war time, as well as providing information to the enemy.
Segev, the former energy and infrastructure minister, is suspected of providing Tehran with information on Israel's energy industry, security sites in the country, different facilities and political and military officials, among other things.
The former minister, who has been living in Nigeria in recent years where he worked as a doctor, tried to enter Equatorial Guinea in May 2018, where he was refused entry because of his criminal past and consequently transferred to Israel.
He was arrested and interrogated by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police after intelligence gathered on him raised the suspicion he was in contact with Iranian intelligence and aiding them in their activities against Israel.
The investigation found that Segev was recruited and was operated as an agent of the Iranian intelligence. He was first contacted by Iranian embassy officials in Nigeria in 2012, and at a later stage traveled to Iran twice for meetings with his handlers—while being fully aware they belonged to Iranian intelligence.
Segev did not deny the allegations leveled against him during his investigation, but claimed that he attempted to help Israel by “obtaining information.”
Over the years as an Iranian agent, Segev met with his handlers in apartments and hotels around the world, which he told interrogators he believed are used for covert Iranian activity.
He also received an encrypted communications system to conceal the exchange of messages between him and his handlers.
To obtain the information he was asked for by his Iranian handlers, Segev maintained contacts with Israelis who have ties to Israeli security, defense and foreign relations. He worked to put the Israeli officials in contact with Iranian intelligence elements, while trying to deceive them and present the Iranians as innocuous businessmen.
Segev was indicted on Thursday at the Jerusalem District Court. The court accepted a request by the Shin Bet and Israel Police to release some details about the case, while the rest are under gag order. He remains under arrest until further notice, with his next court hearing scheduled for July 9.
Segev's attorneys, Eli Zohav and Moshe Mazor, said that the details released "make matters appear very grave, even though the indictment—the majority of which is still under gag order—portrays a different picture."
Who is Gonen Segev?
Segev was first elected to the 13th Knesset in 1992 as part of Rafael Eitan's Tzomet party, where he served as an opposition MK and a member of the Knesset's Finance Committee.
In February 1994, Segev and two other MKs split from Tzomet and formed the Yiud faction. In January 1995, Segev became the minister of energy and infrastructure in Yitzhak Rabin's government and continued holding the post in Shimon Peres' government after Rabin's assassination.
After his political career, Segev became a businessman.
In 2002, Israel's security services uncovered a Hezbollah plot to kidnap Israeli citizens—with Segev among them—to Lebanon to be used as bargaining chips for negotiations on prisoner swaps.
Qais Hassan Kamal Obeid, an Israeli citizen from Taybeh who moved to Lebanon, tried to lure the Israelis to travel abroad by promising them easy money for criminal endeavors.
At the time, Segev said he received a warning from the Shin Bet about the plot, claiming he didn't know why he was being targeted.
In November 2003, he withdrew NIS 20,387 worth of cash from ATM machines in Hong Kong using an Isracard credit card. He called Isracard and reported his card stolen, claiming he did not make the withdrawals. Security cameras on the ATMs showed he was lying.
He was convicted of attempting to fraudulently obtain benefits and of credit card fraud. He was given probation and was the choice between paying a NIS 50,000 fine or serving three months in prison. He appealed the decision to the district court, which rejected the appeal of the conviction but decided to cancel the fine.
He was arrested in April 2004 for attempting to smuggle 32,000 ecstasy tablets from Amsterdam to Israel, claiming he thought they were M&M's.
He was also charged with illegally extending his diplomatic passport with a pencil to avoid being subjected to a search by Dutch airport authorities.
In March 2005, he was convicted of forgery and attempted drug smuggling in a plea deal and sentenced to five years in prison, two years of probation and a $27,500 fine. He was released in June 2007 after having a third reduced for good behavior.
As a result of his conviction, Segev had his medical license revoked in February 2007.
12 june 2018

Most families leave illegal outpost without any resistance, but Hilltop Youth climb on rooftops and pour paint and throw water bottles on police; forces begin carrying teens away one by one, 13 police officers wounded in clashes; 2 teens, 1 adult arrested for assaulting officer.
Clashes broke out Tuesday afternoon between security forces and members of the Hilltop Youth group during the evacuation of the last home in the illegal outpost of Netiv Ha’avot in Gush Etzion.
Teenagers standing on the house’s rooftop poured paint and threw stones and water bottles on the forces.
The police began carrying the youths away one by one. The outpost's residents asked the youths to come down from the rooftops, but they refused.
Bayit Yehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich and Amana director Ze'ev Hever were also at the entrance to the house.
By the end of the evacuation, two teenagers and a young man were arrested for assaulting a police officer, while dozens of other teens were barred from the area.
Thirteen police officers were wounded during the evacuation. One was in moderate condition and the others were lightly hurt.
Meanwhile, dozens of people blocked the entrance to Jerusalem and burned tires in protest of the Netiv Ha'avot evacuation. Three protestors were detained.
Some 40 protestors held signs reading, “Build without evacuating,” and chanted: “The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people."
On Tuesday morning, thousands of police officers were deployed in several circles at Netiv Ha’avot ahead of the evacuation of 15 families from the outpost.
About 1,000 teenagers gathered at the outpost ahead of the evacuation, which began at 9 am. Dozens of them clashed with Border Police forces.
Several youths climbed to the roof of one of the houses and refused to come down despite the residents’ repeated requests. Police detained two of the protestors.
The evacuation then continued without any significant resistance, as the evictees walked out of their homes in tears.
Earlier, youths set fire to tires and garbage cans at the outpost and began shoving the police, chanting “Soldier, policeman, refuse orders.”
In response, the Border Police isolated the teens and encircled them. Dozens of police officers were provided with special documentation equipment to document rioters.
The police issued a statement saying, “The dialogue with the residents and the local leadership is ongoing to prevent friction and unnecessary clashes and allow a proper execution of the mission the forces have been tasked with.
“The police expect the residents’ families, which are a law-abiding public, to keep showing responsibility and work to restrain non-local elements and not to allow any violence against police officers and innocent people under any circumstances.
“The police call on the leadership to keep showing responsibility and high involvement to facilitate the proper implementation of the court order.”
Most of the protest was expected to center around two homes. The High Court of Justice ruled that the homes had been built illegally, some on unregulated lands, following a petition filed by the Peace Now movement.
Netiv Ha’avot residents say not a single Palestinian has been able to prove his ownership of the land so far. Peace Now, however, says the petition includes names of Palestinian petitioners who claim to own the land.
After dozen of High Court petitions and discussions, the evacuation of the outpost’s 15 families was scheduled for Tuesday. The families were to move temporarily to a plot prepared for them.
Netiv Ha’avot resident Orit Noy told Ynet: “The stupidity here is incomprehensible. Anyone who came here in the past two years said it was the most stupid thing that could happen. Not a single person, neither from the Left nor from the Right, understands why this is happening.
“All ministers and Knesset members are saying that this is a foolish ruling. It’s unbelievable that no one is able to stop this. They’re going to destroy out home and there will be nothing here. No one will come here. In two years, God willing, we’ll return and rebuild our home here.”
Thousands of people, including Ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, attended a protest rally at Netiv Ha’avot on Monday evening.
“Whoever wanted to destroy 15 homes will received, God willing, 350 homes on this hill,” Education Minister Bennett said. “The residents of the Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood and everyone who cares about the settlement enterprise in this country, can’t understand. There is no other word apart from absurdity."
“One of the girls asked me why,” the Bayit Yehudi leader added. “I didn’t know how to answer. There is no answer, no reason and no logic. Sometimes, the High Court is very active on human rights, but when it comes to the rights of the residents here, the court suddenly becomes passive.”
Justice Minister Shaked said, “The evacuation is the result of a serious mistake. It began with an erroneous response from the state several years ago, but that was fixed from the root, and ended with an erroneous High Court decision. The news is that it ends here. In the past three years, we have changed the discourse. Instead of asking, ‘When are we evacuating?’ we’re asking, ‘How do we regulate?’”
The families will live in the alternative plot for two years and hope that the evacuated outpost area will be regulated.
Clashes broke out Tuesday afternoon between security forces and members of the Hilltop Youth group during the evacuation of the last home in the illegal outpost of Netiv Ha’avot in Gush Etzion.
Teenagers standing on the house’s rooftop poured paint and threw stones and water bottles on the forces.
The police began carrying the youths away one by one. The outpost's residents asked the youths to come down from the rooftops, but they refused.
Bayit Yehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich and Amana director Ze'ev Hever were also at the entrance to the house.
By the end of the evacuation, two teenagers and a young man were arrested for assaulting a police officer, while dozens of other teens were barred from the area.
Thirteen police officers were wounded during the evacuation. One was in moderate condition and the others were lightly hurt.
Meanwhile, dozens of people blocked the entrance to Jerusalem and burned tires in protest of the Netiv Ha'avot evacuation. Three protestors were detained.
Some 40 protestors held signs reading, “Build without evacuating,” and chanted: “The Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people."
On Tuesday morning, thousands of police officers were deployed in several circles at Netiv Ha’avot ahead of the evacuation of 15 families from the outpost.
About 1,000 teenagers gathered at the outpost ahead of the evacuation, which began at 9 am. Dozens of them clashed with Border Police forces.
Several youths climbed to the roof of one of the houses and refused to come down despite the residents’ repeated requests. Police detained two of the protestors.
The evacuation then continued without any significant resistance, as the evictees walked out of their homes in tears.
Earlier, youths set fire to tires and garbage cans at the outpost and began shoving the police, chanting “Soldier, policeman, refuse orders.”
In response, the Border Police isolated the teens and encircled them. Dozens of police officers were provided with special documentation equipment to document rioters.
The police issued a statement saying, “The dialogue with the residents and the local leadership is ongoing to prevent friction and unnecessary clashes and allow a proper execution of the mission the forces have been tasked with.
“The police expect the residents’ families, which are a law-abiding public, to keep showing responsibility and work to restrain non-local elements and not to allow any violence against police officers and innocent people under any circumstances.
“The police call on the leadership to keep showing responsibility and high involvement to facilitate the proper implementation of the court order.”
Most of the protest was expected to center around two homes. The High Court of Justice ruled that the homes had been built illegally, some on unregulated lands, following a petition filed by the Peace Now movement.
Netiv Ha’avot residents say not a single Palestinian has been able to prove his ownership of the land so far. Peace Now, however, says the petition includes names of Palestinian petitioners who claim to own the land.
After dozen of High Court petitions and discussions, the evacuation of the outpost’s 15 families was scheduled for Tuesday. The families were to move temporarily to a plot prepared for them.
Netiv Ha’avot resident Orit Noy told Ynet: “The stupidity here is incomprehensible. Anyone who came here in the past two years said it was the most stupid thing that could happen. Not a single person, neither from the Left nor from the Right, understands why this is happening.
“All ministers and Knesset members are saying that this is a foolish ruling. It’s unbelievable that no one is able to stop this. They’re going to destroy out home and there will be nothing here. No one will come here. In two years, God willing, we’ll return and rebuild our home here.”
Thousands of people, including Ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, attended a protest rally at Netiv Ha’avot on Monday evening.
“Whoever wanted to destroy 15 homes will received, God willing, 350 homes on this hill,” Education Minister Bennett said. “The residents of the Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood and everyone who cares about the settlement enterprise in this country, can’t understand. There is no other word apart from absurdity."
“One of the girls asked me why,” the Bayit Yehudi leader added. “I didn’t know how to answer. There is no answer, no reason and no logic. Sometimes, the High Court is very active on human rights, but when it comes to the rights of the residents here, the court suddenly becomes passive.”
Justice Minister Shaked said, “The evacuation is the result of a serious mistake. It began with an erroneous response from the state several years ago, but that was fixed from the root, and ended with an erroneous High Court decision. The news is that it ends here. In the past three years, we have changed the discourse. Instead of asking, ‘When are we evacuating?’ we’re asking, ‘How do we regulate?’”
The families will live in the alternative plot for two years and hope that the evacuated outpost area will be regulated.