Coalition tense ahead of vote on outpost regulation bill

The outpost regulation bill is slated to be brought before the Knesset plenum on Monday for its second and third readings, after the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee rejected the various reservations the opposition had presented.

In light of Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit's decision not to defend the bill should it be contested before the High Court of Justice, Knesset Legal Adviser Eyal Yanon was tasked with the bill's defense.

Tensions in the coalition rose Sunday ahead of the vote, and many believe that Habayit Hayehudi will not allow the vote to be postponed again.

Habayit Hayehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich warned over the weekend that his party would not remain part of the coalition if the outpost regulation bill is rejected. He said that should the bill pass and be struck down by the High Court of Justice, Habayit Hayehudi would promote legislation giving parliament the power to overrule High Court decisions, thus preventing the court from blocking future bills.

Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), who opposes the bill, said at a town hall event Saturday that "the outpost regulation bill is political manipulation. People on the Right didn't have the courage to tell the settlers the truth -- that the bill probably won't pass, and even if it passes its third reading, it still has to pass the High Court's scrutiny, because there are concerns that it facilitates land theft."

Meanwhile, the eviction of the Samaria outpost of Amona has entered its final stages. The Defense Ministry will likely begin razing the buildings this week, but a ministry official said that whatever buildings can be salvaged and moved will not be demolished.

On Friday, residents were busy packing up the contents of their homes, and the work was expected to continue through Sunday.

The Amona families spent the Sabbath together in a hotel. On Saturday evening, they returned to a religious school building in Ofra, where they are slated to be accommodated until a housing solution can be found for them. Of the 42 evicted families, 12 have found their own solutions, renting apartments in Ofra and elsewhere.

The settlers are gearing up to continue their fight, and the Jerusalem District Police have issued them a permit to erect a protest tent across from the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem.

The test is part of Amona evictees' campaign to pressure the government to establish an alternative settlement for them.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already ordered a special team, comprising officials from his office, the Defense Ministry, and the Civil Administration to look into a few possible sites in the Binyamin region.

Also on Sunday, the defense establishment was preparing to demolish nine homes in Ofra that the High Court has ruled were built on privately owned Palestinian land.

The final deadline the court issued for the eviction and demolition of the home is Feb. 8. As of now, the resident of eight of the nine homes have yet to leave them. Five of the families have already bought other apartments in Ofra that are under construction and scheduled to be completed within three months.

The families have asked the High Court to delay the eviction for three months to save them having to move twice. Chief Justice Miriam Naor said a ruling on the petition would be given by Monday.

The other four homes are still on track to be demolished this week. A protest is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Ofra against the demolition of the homes. Religious Zionist rabbis, public officials, and MKs are scheduled to attend the rally, which will demand that the status of the entire Ofra settlement be regulated.

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