JERUSALEM: The Israeli Supreme Court has cleared the way for Jewish settlers of an outpost in the occupied West Bank to remain in their homes, overturning an earlier eviction order that determined the outpost had been built improperly on privately owned Palestinian land.
In their decision, a panel of judges found that though the Mitzpe Kramim outpost was built on privately owned Palestinian land, it had been allocated to the settlers in “good faith” by the Israeli government. Therefor, the 40 Jewish families living there remain, the judges said.
Palestinians and human rights groups fear this could set a precedent for future disputes over Jewish settlements built on privately owned Palestinian land.
Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement watchdog, called the ruling an “absurd decision.” According to the group, an estimated 150 unauthorized outposts dot the West Bank. Peace Now fears that Wednesday’s decision could open the floodgates for more similar rulings.