Israel’s High Court on Sunday recommended revoking the appointment of Yehuda Eliyahu as director of the Israel Land Authority (ILA) and returning the selection process to a newly constituted search committee.
The Court held a follow-up hearing Sunday on three left-wing petitions seeking to overturn Eliyahu’s appointment as director of the Israel Land Authority.
No one is surprised by the Court’s decision to blatantly violate the authority of the government and disqualify the appointment of Eliyahu, a religious right-wing figure who has legalized numerous yishuvim in Yehuda and Shomron, the Negev and the Galil.
In addition, it should be noted that one of the judges who issued the decision was Khaled Kabub, a liberal Muslim judge who has been accused of numerous ethical violations and has issued several rulings that favored terrorists.
Attorney Yair Gabbay wrote, “Anyone who thinks it’s merely a coincidence that High Court President Yitzchak Amit assigned Justice Khaled Kabub to the panel hearing Yehuda Eliyahu’s appointment as head of the Israel Land Authority—well, I have a bridge to sell them.
“Yehuda Eliyahu previously served as CEO of Regavim, an organization that fights to preserve Israel’s national lands in Yehuda and Shomron, the Negev, and the Galil against Arab encroachment.
“There is nothing accidental about Yitzchak Amit. Everything is permissible in his unhealthy obsession with the government. Public trust in the High Court doesn’t interest him—only his political agenda.”
Channel 14 journalist Avraham Landsberg stated regarding the hearing, “Today, the High Court will hold one of the most important hearings in recent years. The justices’ decision will determine the country’s future, especially in the Negev and the Galil.
“The High Court will hear petitions against the appointment of Yehuda Eliyahu as head of the Israel Land Authority. Why is this so important, and who is Yehuda Eliyahu?
“Until recently, Yehuda Eliyahu served as head of the Settlement Administration in the Ministry of Defense—or, in other words, he was responsible for the transformation of the outposts in Yehuda and Shomron, the major project that has effectively halted the Arab takeover of land in Yehuda and Shomron, and, in practice, prevented the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“Now to the Israel Land Authority.
“Until now, the Israel Land Authority has distributed land almost free of charge to Bedouin in the south and Arabs in the north, while most Israelis are struggling under the high cost of living, especially housing costs. The result of this land allocation, in effect, weakens Jewish sovereignty in the Negev and the Galil. And that’s without even considering that, instead of giving the land to Arabs, it could—and should—be given to military reservists.
“Yehuda Eliyahu was appointed to change that. He came to turn things around, stop the Arab takeover, strengthen Jewish sovereignty—and that is what bothers the High Court justices and the left-wing groups that petitioned against him.
“It must be understood that if the justices decide to disqualify the appointment, the only loser will be the Israeli public.”
The petitions against Eliyahu claimed that the appointment was tainted by significant flaws, including his close ties to Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich. The petitioners also argued that the appointment failed to satisfy the legal requirement for adequate representation of women and should also be invalidated because of statements attributed to Eliyahu regarding Arab society.
At the conclusion of the hearing on Sunday, the justices recommended that the government’s decision be rescinded and that the appointment process be returned to the search committee. The committee would re-interview the three final candidates and would also be permitted to consider additional candidates. The parties were instructed to submit their positions within 48 hours.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
