Ahead of Wednesday's anticipated preliminary vote on the controversial outpost regulation bill, Amona residents are confident that coalition members will vote unanimously in its favor. The outpost regulation bill, which would allow the government to retroactively grant contested Judea and Samaria outposts the necessary permits, effectively circumvents a High Court ruling to evict Amona residents by Dec. 25. The head of the campaign to save Amona, resident Avichai Boaron, stressed at a meeting Tuesday, "We expect coalition members to vote as one in favor of the outpost regulation bill, providing relief for thousands of families, good Israeli citizens who came to live in Judea and Samaria and came to live here in the settlements that the state established decades ago -- and then one clear day discovered they were living in illegal settlements." Meanwhile, in Amona, residents are preparing their eviction day protest. They began setting up a tent city meant to house the thousands of supporters they expect to join the demonstration. "If that day comes, we will all be here with our wives and our little ones and supporters from all over the country, and there are already several thousand who have told us they will be with us," said Boaron. "There is a sense of general mobilization for this issue because the public understands that there is a fundamental question here. Israeli society does not want to see images of people being torn from their homes. It is the prime minister's responsibility to prevent this." At the same time, the families living in nine homes in the settlement of Ofra, which is slated for demolition by February, are protesting with their own tent city in Wohl Rose Park, between the Prime Minister's Office and the Knesset in Jerusalem. They too are demanding that Knesset members support the outpost regulation bill. Ofra's community action committee addressed on Tuesday Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit's opposition to the bill, which was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday. According to Ofra's representatives, "In light of Attorney General Mendelblit's opposition to the current wording of outpost regulation bill, the settlement of Ofra calls on Knesset members to support the bill in its preliminary reading, while committing to include significant changes during the legislative process so that it will meet the attorney general's demands and will be able to stand up to the test of the High Court." The committee further stated: "The settlement [enterprise] as a whole and Ofra in particular are facing a serious legal threat that requires brave, smart legislation that will stand up to the test of the High Court." Nine families from Ofra whose homes are slated for demolition are expected to come to the Knesset on Wednesday in support of the bill. They plan to meet with Likud faction Knesset members and ministers as well as with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.
