On Sunday, the Ministerial Legislation Committee passed a bill submitted by MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi), requiring petitions against state authorities in Judea and Samaria must first be heard in district courts, just like petitions within the Green Line – and not in the High Court of Justice.
Smotrich’s bill The proposed bill could prove to be the silver bullet that finally reduces or even eliminates the High Court’s involvement in planning and construction in Judea and Samaria, moving these cases to a more legal and less political track.
It would also reduce the great burden borne by the Supreme Court in its role as the High Court of Justice and make it available to reviewing run-of-the-mill, civil and criminal appeals (for which the justices will surely be grateful). It will also reduce the legal costs born by Jewish municipalities and individual residents of Judea and Samaria.
MK Smotrich said in a statement: “This is another step in the process of normalizing the settlement in Judea and Samaria, a goal we set for ourselves at the beginning of this term. There is no reason in the world that the residents of Judea and Samaria should have to go to the High Court of Justice for everything, when the hearings at the High Court of Justice are more complex and expensive, and often prejudiced against the settlers.”
The bill will be voted on this Wednesday in a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum, and will be combined with another government bill being promoted by Justice Minister Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi).
