Israeli Court: IDF Must Compensate Yad Yair Settlers
Reageer (0)25-1-2010
Haaretz news reports that the IDF must pay a group of settlers approximately 430,000 NIS for destroying their illegal west-of-Ramallah outpost in September of 2008.
The ruling cites the IDF continuing with the demolition of Yad Yair after a injunction was granted by the Israeli Supreme Court. Several buildings were razed and a shipping container that served as the outpost’s synagogue was pushed down a ravine by the IDF. The settlers also sought compensation for personal property that was destroyed. Haaretz believes that the IDF will appeal the decision.Yad Yair was defined as an outpost, or an extension of a larger settlement that often is built by ideological settlers in the West Bank. Its members have been suspected in the destruction of a Palestinian olive grove shortly after their eviction. Outposts have often been used as diversionary tactics for larger settlements to distract the international community from more permanent building efforts by forcing Israeli soldiers to evict settlers from temporary or poorly made dwellings, creating dramatic scenes of demolished homes for the press and polarizing public opinion on the IDF.
Palestinian human rights activists often note the disparity between the legal process of settler evictions and Palestinian home demolitions. Successful court battles for compensation of Palestinian property within both the West Bank and Israel are extremely rare, while Israeli settlers often receive compensation for demolished property illegally built on confiscated land.
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