Government Cites Regulation Law in Adei Ad Case

Israel’s High Court judges will have an opportunity to pass judgment on the recently passed Regulation Law after state attorneys invoked it in the Adei Ad outpost case, in which Palestinians are again contesting ownership of the land, Times of Israel reported on Tuesday.

The State Attorney’s Office notified the Court on Monday that in their opinion the dispute must be decided in light of the new law, asserting that “the implications of this law need to be examined” in Adei Ad, an outpost in the Shilo bloc outside Ramallah.

The law retroactively legalizes many outposts built on private Palestinian land in Yehudah and Shomron, on condition they can prove they built in good faith or with Israeli government backing. It provides for monetary compensation or alternate plots elsewhere for Palestinians who are denied restoration of their property.

Some of the land in question is allegedly owned by residents of the Palestinian villages of Turmus Ayya, Al-Mughayyir, Qaryut and Jalud. There are seven buildings which could be subject to a court-ordered evacuation and demolition.

However, Adei Ad would appear to be an imperfect test case for the Regulation Law, since it was established in 1998 without government approval.

The outpost is home to some 60 families.