Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he would work to ensure that the settlement Mitzpe Kramim remains in place after the High Court of Justice overruled the Jerusalem District Court and decided in favor of Palestinian plaintiffs, giving the government 36 months to arrange other housing for the settler residents.
"I am sorry about the mistaken High Court ruling about evacuating Mitzpe Kramim," Netanyahu said.
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"I have ordered my chief of staff Ronen Peretz to meet with representatives of the settlement. We will seek every avenue to keep the residents in place, and we believe we will be able to do so," the prime minister said.
On Thursday, the High Court of Justice ruled that Mitpe Kramim had been built on privately-owned Palestinian land and must be removed.
Accepting a petition by Palestinian plaintiffs, the court overturned a 2018 District Court ruling which had broken judicial ground by recognizing the Mitzpe Kramim settlers' claim to the land.
The District Court had declared the settlers the legal owners, finding that Israeli authorities were unaware the land was privately owned when they originally mapped out the area.
That ruling was based on an Israeli law which states that transactions with legal faults could be valid if they were conducted in "good faith."
Established 20 years ago on a hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley, Mitzpe Kramim is home to about 40 families.
But the High Court said that the Israeli authorities had not acted in good faith by "turning a blind eye to the many warning signs given over many years" which showed the plots were actually owned by Palestinians.
Placing most of the responsibility for what it called "the painful outcome for Mitzpe Kramim's residents" on the state, the court gave authorities 36 months to find alternative housing for them.
Justice Minister Avi Nissankoren said he intended to reach out to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and ask him to consider another petition on the matter. Meanwhile, Nissankoren stressed that all decisions by the High Court must be honored.
The ruling came under harsh criticism from the Right. Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked condemned the decision, saying, "There is certainly no justice here. A ruling by the Jerusalem District Court, approval from the attorney general, support from the entire governing echelon, as well as a minority opinion from Justice Neil Handel, aren't enough to do the right thing," Shaked tweeted.
"Mitzpe Kramim residents, in the next few days we'll think about what the right thing to do is. This ruling must be overturned, either by legislation or by another discussion [of the case]," Shaked's tweet said.
The Jewish rights group Bezalmo said, "The same High Court that forbids the demolition of terrorists' homes requires the demolition of settlers' homes. This is a moral crime. We will work to restrict the power of the High Court, until it is returned to its proper place and stops hurting people."
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