By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz – 10 June 2009
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1091830.html
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch on Wednesday lambasted the state for neglecting to enforce demolition orders of illegal West Bank outposts.
“For years we have heard about demolition ordered issued by authorities, but the answers received are always general and vague,” Beinisch said in response to a Peace Now petition calling to raze the Khursha and Hayovel outposts in the West Bank.
Beinisch asked the government why it was lagging on following through with planned demolitions, and whether it was perpetuating the continued existence of illegal outposts. The state prosecutor’s office responded to Beinisch’s criticism by saying that the government was working according to the priorities set forth by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. The prosecution emphasized that some illegal outposts had in fact been demolished over the last few weeks.
National Union MK Michael Ben Ari reacted to Beinisch’s comments Wednesday, saying that her remarks raise suspicion of a Supreme Court racist policy as it targets only settlers and ignores Arabs as well as other sectors.
Last month, the High Court gave the state to explain within 90 days why it had not evacuated six illegal West Bank outposts six illegal West Bank outposts that were slated for evacuation in 2004.