High Court grants State´s request to extend deadline for relocation of five structures due to ´complex engineering considerations´

The High Court of Justice on Sunday granted the state´s request to extend the deadline for the eviction of the five contested buildings in Beit El´s Ulpana neighborhood. "It goes without saying that we trust the State to remove the permanent structures until November 15," the judges wrote in their ruling.

Over the weekend, after completing the first stage of the eviction, the state filed a motion for an extension that will allow it to relocate the empty structures by the middle of November, citing complex engineering considerations and the need to complete the process "peacefully".

Supreme Court Justice Asher Grunis and Judges Salim Joubran and Uzi Fogelman accepted the request and gave the state an extension until November 15. The judges based their decision on a letter from the Defense Ministry´s Department of Construction and Engineering, which presented a timetable for the completion of the project.

"Assuming that the permanent structures were indeed emptied of all people and property and given the timetable that was determined for dismantling the structures, we do not see any reason not to grant the petitioner an additional extension," the judges wrote.

On Thursday, Border Guard officers evicted the last families to reside in the neighborhood, which was built on private Palestinian land, and transferred them into Caravillas in Beit El.

The first stage of the eviction was completed within several days and no violent incidents were reported during the operation. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 07/01/12)