The Israeli security cabinet has unanimously voted to approve construction of a new town for the residents of Amona, a Jewish community demolished in February under Supreme Court orders. The vote was taken by phone, according to Israel’s Channel 10 television news.
החלטת הממשלה להקמת יישוב חדש למפוני עמונה אושרה כעת במשאל טלפוני @MoavVardi pic.twitter.com/uCEwFLtHJa
— חדשות 10 (@news10) March 30, 2017
The court ruled in favor of a petition claiming the town was built in part on land that was privately owned by citizens of the Palestinian Authority.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the new community is to be built at a site in the Binyamin region, near Emek Shilo. The rest of the government cabinet was meeting on the establishment of the town after the security cabinet vote.
The residents have been homeless since their town was demolished, waiting for the government to keep the promise to rebuild their town elsewhere, a vow made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during talks held prior to the evacuation.
The new town will be the first to be established by the State of Israel in Judea or Samaria in more than two decades.