The Israeli Supreme Court accepted a request by the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center to drop a petition submitted by pro-settler group Regavim. The petition called on the Court to issue demolition orders as well as stop-work orders against a house and agricultural lands in Beit Iksa, a Palestinian village northwest of occupied Jerusalem. The house and the agricultural lands belong to Palestinian farmer Muhammad Badriyeh.

Regavim, a state-funded right-wing organization, monitors Palestinian construction carried out without Israeli permits, “incites” the so-called civil administration to speed up the pace OF demolition orders, and prosecutes cases of unauthorized construction in Israeli courts.
At the beginning of last year, Regavim, as part of its anti-Palestinian campaign, submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court demanding the issuance of a demolition order against Mr. Badriyeh’s home. Regavim argued that the house is located in Area C, which is under complete Israeli military and civil jurisdiction, and that it has been built without obtaining the required Israeli permits. In its petition, Regavim also called for a stop-work order in the agricultural lands adjacent to the house, claiming that the construction activity is illegal.
JLAC’s attorney Sliman Shain, meanwhile, stressed in his response that the house is located in Area B, which, according to the classification of the Oslo accords, falls under Palestinian civil jurisdiction and Israeli military jurisdiction. This claim was even verified by the Israeli prosecution.
As for the work in the agricultural lands, JLAC cited the Jordanian law, still applicable in the area, which exempts agricultural use in areas defined as agricultural zones from the requirement of obtaining permits. JLAC added that the stop-work order was a consequence of the civil administration’s acquiescence to Regavim’s pressure and the latter was not a legitimate party in the proceedings. JLAC concluded that Regavim’s claim that the house was located in Area C was aimed at misleading the Court and as such, the petition should be dropped.

The Israeli Supreme Court accepted JLAC’s request to drop the petition, citing the principle of non-intervention in determining the priorities of the Israeli civil administration as far as demolitions in Area C are concerned.