Education Minister optimistic about finding solution for Amona; says High Court has overstepped its bounds.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) revealed on Tuesday that tremendous effort is being invested to prevent Amona from being destroyed, and to legalize the villages in Judea and Samaria.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Bennett conveyed optimism regarding applying the “absentee property law,” in Amona.
“With cooperation from the residents, we are leading the push to for the ‘absentee property’ solution. This is a complicated solution, but with it, the residents will remain in Amona. We are working very hard on this. The timetable is short, but in general, I am optimistic.”
Arutz Sheva: Aren’t you concerned that the Attorney General and the High Court will trip up any proffered solution?
“There is certainly a problem here, but the time has come for the government to govern, the advisors to advise, and the judges to judge. Today we have judicial activism, and legal activism, and its not a secret that we are in the process of returning sanity to the system.
“I was CEO in a hi-tech company, and I had legal advisors who told me how to realize my policies. They didn’t decide the policy. In the last twenty years, things have gotten a little confused, and there are attorney generals who think that they decide policy, and that’s just not the way it works.
“The incidents in Amona and Netiv Ha’avot, as well as other events, are creating a worrying situation that we need to fix. ‘Peace Now’, and leftist organizations who lost in the field of public opinion and social institutions, have basically decided to force their policies on the State of Israel, using judicial tools, and by way of the High Court.”
The Education Minister mentioned that “The High Court isn’t meant for this. The High Court is not intended to decide that policy should be according to the wishes of one side or the other. Rather, it is intended to deal [only] with very extreme instances. That’s not what is actually happening.”
“Leftists are petitioning for one thing,” Bennett emphasized. “We will bring about a strategic agreement that covers all the [Israeli] communities in Judea and Samaria. We have already succeeded in stopping the political attempts to remove Jews from their homes, and now we will stop the ‘legal’ attempts, as well.”
Arutz Sheva: It is safe to assume that anything you try to do will necessitate complete cooperation from all members of the coalition. Will [Moshe] Kahlon and [the] Kulanu [party] support you?
“I am convinced that everyone in the coalition will support [us]. This is not something that goes against democracy. It is an action that strengthens democracy. To allow the State of Israel to implement its authority in Judea and Samaria is definitely something in line with democracy.
“I have told the Justice Minister to create a strategic solution for the entire issue [in] Judea and Samaria, so that we don’t end up chasing our own tail every time [those in] the Surpeme Court open their mouths,” Bennett concluded.
Thank G-d there are still great leaders like Bennett!
I so wish he was PM.