Court halts Palestinian construction near new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway

The Supreme Court of Israel issued another injunction to halt further unauthorized Arab building close to new commuter infrastructure.

By: World Israel News Staff

An illegal Arab outpost not far from Jerusalem is cause for alarm, says an Israeli legal advocacy group called Regavim, which is pursuing a lawsuit to stop any further development. As an aerial video of the site reveals, the outpost is taking shape close to the the high-speed Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway corridor, which is approaching its final stages of construction and will link Israel’s two largest cities.

On Monday, Regavim notched a victory in the case, with the Israeli Supreme Court issuing a temporary injunction, according to a report by Arutz Sheva. Justice Noam Sohlberg also ruled that a three-judge panel would deliberate on the imposition of a fine for the work already performed, which defied a previous injunction barring construction.

The illegal outpost sits nestled in the Arazim Valley near the the Jewish areas of Mevasseret Zion and Ramot and an existing Arab village called Beit Iksa. The land is technically in Judea and Samaria, notwithstanding its close proximity to the Jerusalem metropolitan area and the soon-to-be completed high-speed rail corridor.

In another legal action, Regavim is also seeking to halt what it maintains are the United Nation’s illegal plans to expand a compound in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv.