Following today’s hearing in the Supreme Court (HCJ 143/06) Judge Ayala Prokachya issued a new temporary injunction forbidding all building whatsoever in the Matityahu East compound in the settlement Modi’in Illit. The judge further ordered “to examine all permits already issued and to determine their position regarding their legality by 20 January.”
The appeal was made by Attorney Michael Sfard on behalf of Peace Now. Matityahu East is built on land stolen by the State of Israel from the West Bank village of Bil’in, a theft facilitated by the apartheid wall that is currently under construction.
Right next to Metityahu East, on their own land and with the permission of the Village Counsel, the residents of Bil’in set up an outpost of their own, dubbed “The Center For Joint Struggle”, which is subject to the same treatment: all further building is prohibited until the Israeli Supreme Court decides whether to demolish it or not.
Today at 11:00 am, the DCO, the IDF, Police and Border Police raided the Palestinian outpost and confiscated one level tool, a sack of cement and a map of the West Bank, in order to prevent further construction. However, the bulldozers, cement sacks, and tools on the construction site of Matityahu East have not been confiscated, which illustrates the difference in treatment for Palestinians and settlers in the face of Israeli “justice”.
This last Monday, in violation of the Supreme Court order, construction continued in Matityahu East, until Human Rights Workers and Palestinians helped to enforce the building halt by blocking the path of the construction vehicles.
For further information:
Michael Sfard (Attorney) – 054 471 39 30
Dror Etkes (Settlement Watch, Peace Now) – 054 489 93 51, 02 566 06 48
For court transcript in Hebrew, click here.