IPF expresses its deep disappointment over the preliminary approval of the settlement legalization bill, which retroactively legalizes not only Amona but all settlements built on private Palestinian land.
The bill – designed to subvert a final ruling by the High Court – has been deemed unconstitutional by Attorney General Mandelblit. If enacted into law, it would constitute a victory for extremism and the flouting of norms that casts aspersions on the government’s commitment to the rule of law.
It will also create another flagrant double standard in the way that Israel treats illegal building by Israelis in the West Bank versus the way it treats illegal building by Palestinians whose structures built without permits are subject to thousands of demolition orders.
This legislation will do nothing but damage Israel’s credibility and international standing and will make it far more difficult to uphold the government’s commitment to a two-state solution and to the the rule of law.
We urge the government to withdraw the legalization bill and the Knesset to reject it.
