Last week, a new petition was submitted to the Jerusalem District Court demanding stop-work and demolition orders against a new three-story luxurious villa complete with a swimming pool in its expansive yard. Of course, this was built without a permit in violation of the law near the village of Al-Funduq, in Area C, which is under full Israeli jurisdiction.
The villa was built on the designated path of the Al-Funduq bypass road, a new thoroughfare planned by the Israel Roadworks company at a cost of hundreds of thousands of shekels, to ease traffic congestion in the area and improve road safety and security for all residents of the area – Jews and Arabs alike. This illegal mansion is obstructing the construction of the new road, thwarting development, and deepening the traffic chaos in the region from which all residents suffer.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said, “This is absurd. The state plans to invest millions of shekels to double the capacity of the road to provide a safety and security solution for thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, but on the other hand, it does not enforce the law and does not maintain the area.”
We trust we can look forward to MK Bezalel Smotrich making the demolition of this illegal structure a priority and allow for the legal and necessary building of the new road that will serve to benefit everyone.