High Court: Talmon "Outpost" Neighborhood Can Stay

High Court judges had some harsh things to say about government officials who authorized permits for homes that had been built and are under construction in a neighborhood in Talmon, but they rejected a petition by Arab and leftist groups who claimed that homes in the Givat HaBrecha neighborhood of the town should be demolished.

The court decided that the construction in the neighborhood was part of a long-term and wide-ranging development plan for the town, and the plan itself was legal and could not be dismissed.

At stake were 56 homes and a school in the neighborhood that were built without permits, according to the petition filed on behalf of neighboring Arabs by the far-left Yesh Din group. The petition claims that the homes are built on land that was zoned for agricultural, not residential use, and that the homes were built on a piece of land neighboring Arabs need to access their farmlands.

The court derided the decision to build on the land without clearing the status of the area with all legal authorities, but decided that the construction was legal, since it was part of a development plan that dates back to 1992.


http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/149948