Israel sees court rulings on Palestinian land as mere 'recommendations'

[stranger81]

So what if the Supreme Court rules? In Israel those decisions are just recommendations, especially if they deal with Palestinian land. In most enlightened democratic countries, saying that decisions of the courts obligate the state authorities is like stating that the sun rises in the east. But that may not be so for Israel.

Last week, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch had to state that "rulings of this court are not mere recommendations, and the state is obliged to abide by them and to execute them with the necessary speed and efficiency, according to the circumstances of the matter."

The head of the judicial system added: "In the case before us, the state took the law into its own hands." The case dates back to June 2006. The High Court of Justice at that time responded to a petition from Hamoked - the Center for the Defense of the Individual, and instructed the Defense Ministry to move the route of the separation fence near the villages of Azzun and Nabi Ilyas in the northern West Bank.

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And this is not the only case where the Defense Ministry has made a mockery of court decisions relating to the route of the fence. More than two years ago, the court ordered the state to consider an alternative to the fence's route that was robbing the village of Bil'in of lands in favor of the settlement of Modi'in Ilit, and to do so "within a reasonable period of time."

In the ruling that was handed down after 15 months, Beinisch wrote that the alternative that was chosen was not in accordance with the court decision and she ordered the state to abide by it "without further delay."

Since then 10 months have elapsed, the residents of the village and their supporters have demonstrated, the police have used tear gas, and the fence is still in place.

Maskit Handel of the Association of Civil Rights In Israel recently documented no fewer than eight cases where the state was, or still is, in contempt of rulings handed down by the High Court of Justice since 2006. Among other things, she found two decisions relating to the fortification of schools in communities along the border with the Gaza Strip, three decisions instructing the state to build 245 classrooms in East Jerusalem, and a decision to stop making the granting of work permits for migrant workers dependent on their working for a single employer.

Enlightened rule

An affidavit submitted to the High Court of Justice a few weeks ago (in response to a petition) by the Defense Minister's adviser on settlement affairs, Eitan Broshi, indicates that from Ehud Barak's point of view, anything relating to Palestinian rights, and not only the high court's rulings, are nothing more than a recommendation.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1120661.html

[atreides1]

1. So

Does this indicate Israel has a military government, dressed to look like a civilian Parliament?

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Well, the govt certainly has no respect for the highest court in the country...

..and it's not just Nutty's govt, it's previous ones as well. It's a sad state of affairs when more respect is given to the decisions of the military than the rulings of the High Court...