Israel’s supreme court on Tuesday ordered the evacuation of an illegal Jewish settlement built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. In the initial petition for its removal back in 2006, both the court and the Israeli government admitted that the outpost of some 250 Jewish settlers was illegal, but delayed doing anything about it for five years.
There is pressure for Israel to dismantle various other settlements built on Palestinian land, but Israeli leaders have been reluctant to do so, partly due to the violent response such moves tend to elicit from settlers.
Indeed, Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank rose "alarmingly" in the first half of 2011, according to a United Nations report on Tuesday. The report said that 700 people had been displaced and 356 structures demolished so far this year, compared with 594 and 431, respectively, for the whole of 2010.
The demolitions, mostly targeting "already vulnerable Bedouin and herding communities," are taking place in the 60 percent of the West Bank that is designated as under full Israeli control. Palestinian development is allowed on only one percent of this land, making it "virtually impossible for a Palestinian to obtain a permit for construction, while Israeli settlements receive preferential treatment in the allocation of water and land, and approval of development plans," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said.
The only reason why an Israel court would matter is when the news of the conduct and actions of the illegal settlers start being understood by the world. The Illegal settlers is a thug who does not work and probably never held a job in his or her life. Some evil group is funding the illegal settlers because they have been successful in being such a horror of people that no one could live near them and if the bad conduct does not work pure physical attacks will when it is one arab on 10 illegal settlers. The IDF build roads to the illegal settlements so it is clear that the illegal settlers are really representatives of the Israel people and goverment. It is the fact that the world sees disgusting low life scum when they see the illegal settlers is the only reason why any official actions will be taken.
It's chump change to make it look like Isreal is stopping settlements. All settlements are illegal under internatioal law.
""There is pressure for Israel to dismantle various other settlements built on Palestinian land, but Israeli leaders have been reluctant to do so, partly due to [ the violent response such moves tend to elicit from settlers ]. ""
Violent response? Can't the IDF handle a few settlers? The question really isn't CAN they handle the settlers- we know the IDF can do that much- but more a question of WILL they? If I were to guess I'd say that's a big NO.
As the rest of the world stands by and watches Israeli settlers steal land from the Palestinians, can you believe that the Israeli government will act in dismantling these homes? No way! As long as the USA continues to donate 3 billion a year from their monies borrowed from China and the diaspora is allowed to donate billions more dollars (tax free) to the settlers you know who will eventually own the land. In fifty years when the Arab world is more organized, I'm glad I won't be around to see the battles that will be waged.