Amona, West Bank settlement must be razed by Dec. 25

JERUSALEM, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Israel's High Court of Justice rejected a government request for a delay in demolishing settlement homes in Amona, West Bank.

The requirement to raze the homes in the Jewish settlement community of 40 families, built with government funding on land later proven to be owned by Palestinians, is still in force, with a Dec. 25 deadline. The state said it required time to resettle the displaced families by constructing a new community in the vicinity of Amona, and requested a seven-month extension.

In the ruling Monday, the three judges said they feared granting a delay would merely be followed by another request for delay in July. While conceding that relocating the families would be difficult, the court noted the government had two years to complete the task. The state said in 2012 the outpost would be demolished, and the High Court issued a final judgement on demolition in December 2014.

The community of Amona was built in 1995 without permits or approvals but with a $544,000 grant from the Israeli government.

Among the evidence presented to the High Court were letters from Amona residents, saying they have no intention of relocating and that their community was built with the informal approval of Israel's Housing and Construction Ministry. Consequently, they said, it is the government's responsibility to legalize the settlement.

The only recourse remaining to prevent Amona's demolition is legislation to retroactively legalize 2,000 homes in Jewish settlements across the West Bank. Such a law would open a new round of litigation, lacks the support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would require approval from the Knesset, Israel's legislature.