30 June 2023; MEMO: An Israeli court in occupied Jerusalem yesterday froze a military order to dismantle a new illegal West Bank outpost set up last week near the illegal settlement of Eli.
Following the Israeli settlers' appeal to the District Court of Jerusalem, Israeli forces from the Civil Administration were sent to the site and stopped its preparation for evacuation and demolition.
In response to the Israeli State Attorney's Office, which insisted that the illegal outpost be destroyed since it was built without authorisation, far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, slammed the office for not seeking his permission as he claims to be the government representative who must be consulted regarding the matter.
"Instead, in a daylight ambush, the state's response was filed by the State Attorney's Office without any coordination with the defence minister or the additional minister in the Defence Ministry," he wrote in a letter to the court.
The Israeli District Court of Jerusalem instructed the settlers of Hamor to pay $13,540 for the order against the evacuation to remain active in addition to a valid explanation as to why they cannot be relocated along with the details of each settler occupying the outpost.
READ: Knesset passes Bill to allow Israel to resettle in evacuated settlements
It added that the state will have until 4 July to respond to the settlers.
The Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported last week that at least seven new outposts were built in the West Bank.
The new construction follows Netanyahu's announcement of plans for 1,000 new homes in the Eli settlement.
According to Peace Now, an Israeli non-governmental organisation tracking settlement plans since 2012, the Hamor outpost is located on the land of the Palestinian villages of Sinjil and Luban a-Sharkia.
In a statement released yesterday, it said: "Violating the law, destroying the possibility of a future Palestinian State, creating further points of friction between settlers and Palestinians and rewarding settler violence has become the official policy of the State of Israel in the West Bank."
"Beyond the devastating consequences that these outposts will have, first and foremost on Palestinians, the government of Israel is also destroying the possibility of a life of dignity and peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
Estimates indicate about 700,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in roughly 300 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Under international law, all Jewish settlements and outposts in the occupied territories are considered illegal.
