The Regavim Movement sent out a curious message on Sunday: “How do you ramp up enforcement against illegal Arab construction in Judea and Samaria? Easy: simply hoist an Israeli flag on it…”
They created this sweet video to illustrate the point:
According to Regavim (Man of the Year 5782: Regavim, the Most Grownup Rightwing NGO in the Room), last week, the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria demolished an illegal Arab-built structure adjacent to the Jewish community of Haresha.
“Outstanding, you say. Strong enforcement of the law, you say. Certainly, all true – but only part of the story,” said the nice people at Regavim, who reveal that the structure in question was built illegally by Arabs from the nearby village of Al-Mizra’a al-Kabaliya, back in 1997.
“The Civil Administration turned a blind eye,” according to Regavim, which recalled: “Complaints, warnings, pleas to the authorities who are responsible for enforcing the law and protecting the area all went unheeded. Finally, in 2006, The Regavim Movement petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that the court force the Civil Administration to do its job.”
The High Court of Justice rejected the petition on the grounds that the Civil Administration has its own enforcement priorities that reflect the scarce resources at its disposal, and its choices must be respected.
The illegal structure didn’t bother the Civil Administration at all, and nothing happened on the ground – until the Arabs abandoned the structure and Jews moved in.
When residents of Haresha and hikers who frequent the area hoisted an Israeli flag on the structure, the Civil Administration suddenly found the resources to demolish it – no court order was needed, and no discussion of prioritization of resource allocations.
Now, to test their theory, Regavim hung an Israeli flag on a nearby illegal Arab structure they haven’t been able to knock down. Get ready for Civil Administration action in 4 … 3 … 2 …
