The Regavim Movement has filed an administrative petition with the Jerusalem District Court demanding immediate enforcement action against two permanent illegal structures built on declared state land in Area C, adjacent to the newly established community of Bar Kochva in the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The petition was filed against Defense Minister Israel Katz, Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, the Commander of the IDF Central Command and the Deputy Head of the civil administration.
At the center of the petition is a glaring contradiction in Israeli government policy. In 2024, the government of Israel approved the establishment of Bar Kochva as a community of national, security and strategic importance. The community is intended to strengthen territorial continuity between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem and prevent Palestinian encroachment on strategically important ridgelines. Yet while the government advances the community on the planning level, enforcement authorities have failed to act against illegal Palestinian construction developing directly in its path. According to data presented by Regavim, the construction is part of a broader, systematic Palestinian Authority strategy of expanding development from Areas A and B into Area C, creating facts on the ground and restricting Israel’s future ability to develop and maintain control of strategically important territory.
AFSI Insight
AFSI condemns the Palestinian Authority’s systematic use of illegal construction to obstruct the growth and security of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. It is unacceptable that the government can designate Bar Kochva as a community of national and strategic importance while allowing illegal structures to block its access and development. Israel must enforce its own laws, demolish these structures, and prevent the PA from creating facts on the ground. This is a matter of sovereignty, security, and Israel’s future in Judea and Samaria.