A new protocol in the areas governed by the Israeli Civil Administration, which is subordinate to a larger entity known as the Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit (COGAT), allows Palestinians to submit requests to certify structures built illegally prior to 2011.
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Under the banner of "submitting a request to certify housing for the Bedouin sector," Palestinians can now appeal to delay final injunctions for the cessation of construction and demolitions in the Bedouin sector. This new practice applies to thousands of structures that were built without a construction permit and are designated for demolition, which might now be legalized.
Meanwhile, additional new regulations will make it dramatically easier for Palestinians to build homes outside the boundaries of their villages.
According to the regulation: "The head of the [Civil] Administration has the authority to deviate in certain cases, under special circumstances, from the need to follow the accepted protocol, among other things based on considerations of special importance to the local public order, if construction has already occurred on the designated land, and if the project is limited in scope."
Settlement leaders fear the significance of the decision is that the Palestinians will be able to build adjacent to their communities unopposed. "They will be able to build a skyscraper over their village, without accounting for infrastructure or the risks involved," they said.
A third new regulation that has sparked consternation pertains to a High Court of Justice ruling that any publication of a construction tender in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria must also be published in Arabic, a practice that currently doesn't exist. From the perspective of the settlement movement, not only will such tenders cost considerably more, but will also result in more opposition to construction plans that have no impact on the Palestinians whatsoever, inside the borders of the settlements themselves, and exacerbate the already Sisyphean process of receiving approval for building homes in Judea and Samaria.
"These are Draconian processes taking place in the dark without any cooperation, discussion, or planning and oversight procedures," said an angry Oded Revivi, the mayor of the Efrat municipal council. "This is a war on the settlement [movement] without anyone noticing. They are encouraging construction in Area C and simplifying the regulation process while amplifying enforcement against the Jews."
COGAT said in response: "In accordance with the outline that was drafted within the framework of legal procedures that began in 2013, the Bedouin population residing in the area of Judea and Samaria can submit requests to advance planning for housing solutions on their behalf. "
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