The Supreme Court on Sunday rejected the request of residents of the Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood of Gush Etzion to saw off parts of their homes instead of destroying them completely, as only a few meters of six of the houses have been determined to be located on privately owned land. The court also criticized the residents for submitting the petition to save their homes.

The Supreme Court also ordered the demolition of a carpentry shop in Netiv Ha’avot. All buildings must be destroyed by March, 2018, the court ruled.

Supreme Court President Miriam Naor criticized the petition filed by the residents. “The request before us is not a request for clarification, but a request to change the ruling. As stated above, the petitioners did not argue in the present case that there is justification for changing the ruling, but based their position on interpretation only. In examining the need, I will clarify that even if we see their request as a request for a change in the ruling, there is no room to do so.”

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The residents of Netiv Ha’avot reacted angrily to the court’s decision. “The Supreme Court once again chose to ignore the residents and is unwilling to examine the reality on the ground, despite the absurdity and the indignities [inflicted on the residents], and once again has decided to show that it has the upper hand and that justice was not its guiding principle. It is forcing us into an uncompromising struggle.”

The residents added: “The verdict is pure evil. The Supreme Court continues to make political [rulings] and to discriminate against the Jewish population, but when it comes to the Arabs, time after time the court rules in their favor. We stand stunned by the helplessness of the politicians and their inability to control our beloved country.”

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/237053