BICOM

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak yesterday called for the rule of law to be upheld following a High Court order to evacuate the neighbourhood outpost of Ulpana, adjacent to the West Bank settlement of Beit El.

“It must be understood that a government existing in a democratic nation in the 21st century cannot, on a fundamental and deep basis, function any other way,” Barak told reporters. “At the end of the day we are responsible for the rule of law, we are responsible for Israel being a normative country among advanced nations and we are additionally responsible for somehow finding a solution for the Ulpana neighbourhood.”

The court ordered that 30 homes in Ulpana be evacuated by the end of May because they were built on private Palestinian land. At the beginning of the month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would ask Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein to find a solution that would prevent the demolition of 30 apartment units at Ulpana, which was ordered by the High Court of Justice and upheld by the Defence Ministry.

Since then a number of Likud ministers have spoken out strongly over the weekend in favour of the outpost and have called on Netanyahu to support legislation that retroactively legalises outposts on private Palestinian land, such as Ulpana, under certain circumstances. Vice prime minster Moshe Ya’alon (Likud) has also warned that the coalition could fall apart if the government makes good on its pledge to demolish the homes.