Prosecutor’s Office: Don’t bypass court ruling on Ulpana

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday convened a meeting into the question of the evacuation of the Givat Ulpana in the settlement of Beit El following a High Court ruling to evacuate the neighborhood without delay.

Netanyahu is under heavy pressure from rightist ministers and the Likud to push forward legislation that would bypass the High Court, thus preventing the Ulpana evacuation. Among the officials present at the meeting are Defense Minister Ehud Barak and ministers Moshe Ya'alon, Shaul Mofaz and Uzi Landau.

In addition, IDF and judicial officials are also taking part in the meeting, led by Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein.

Pictured left - Givat Ulpana in Beit El

The sensitivity surrounding the issue of the Ulpana neighborhood stems mainly from the fact that many families live in the buildings which have been marked for evacuation. "I don't like the idea of passing a law, but in the situation that has been created there is no choice," said a senior Likud minister before the meeting.

"We need to act in a manner that will provide a solution for normative people who serve in the IDF and who have lived there for many years. The state made a mistake when it presented its stance before the High Court, it (the State) determined these peoples' fate," he added. The legal establishment is opposed to the idea of a bypassing law....