COGAT admits Palestinians subjected to more severe enforcement of planning laws

[Jefferson23]

11 April 2016

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The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Yoav Mordechai, was quoted in Reuters (among other news sources) admitting the enforcement of planning laws in the Area C is stricter against Palestinians than settlers, and that most of the planning-related demolitions are on private Palestinians lands. This statement is in direct contradiction to the position of the state was well as the High Court.

Yes, Israel is preventing Palestinians in Area C in the territories from building on their own lands.

Quote from Reuters:

“Appearing before a sub-committee in the Israeli parliament on Wednesday, Major General Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of the Israeli government’s activities in the West Bank, defended the policy and told right-wing lawmakers he was doing all he could to carry out 11,000 outstanding demolition orders.

The lawmakers summoned Mordechai to the hearing because of their concerns he is not doing enough to dismantle Palestinian structures and focusing instead on removing unauthorized Israeli construction in the West Bank.

‘I want to state unequivocally that enforcement is more severe towards the Palestinians,’ Mordechai told them, comments that would appear to substantiate the concerns raised by diplomats, aid workers and human rights groups.

‘Moreover, much of the enforcement with regard to the Palestinians takes place on private Palestinian land.'”

This increased severity for Palestinians regarding enforcement of planning and building regulations was denied by the state. Further, the High Court responded to a petition demanding planning rights be returned to Palestinian villages by saying that the claim of skewed enforcement was unproven. Now there is even more proof that it is indeed so – the enforcement is skewed towards the disadvantage of the Palestinians. This comes in addition to the fact that from the beginning the military planning system discriminates against Palestinians in the territories in comparison to settlements with a similar number of residents.

This new admittance only strengthens the clear need for a local planning solution to the problem of housing demolitions which will not be subject to the discriminatory practices of the Civil Administration.

http://rhr.org.il/eng/2016/04/coordinator-govt-activities-west-bank-admits-palestinians-subjected-severe-enforcement-planning-laws/

Postponed petition demanding planning rights be returned to Palestinians for their own communities in Area C

[Little Tich]

1. Shame on the IDF.

The IDF is supposed to defend Israel, not to be the executive branch of the Apartheid system.