JNS
Court rules tourist park built in memory of fallen terror victims and soldiers was built on private Palestinian land and must be removed within six months
The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday ordered the demolition of "Einot Aner," a tourist park containing memorial springs dedicated to fallen soldiers, determining the site was constructed on private Palestinian land. The state has been given six months to demolish the facilities and restore the area to its original condition.
The ruling comes in response to a 2017 petition filed by the Ras Karkar village council and two Deir Ammar residents, supported by advocacy organizations Yesh Din and Emek Shaveh. The ruling requires the state to pay 20,000 shekels ($5,561) in legal expenses to the petitioners.
Located northwest of Ramallah near the town of Talmon in the Binyamin Regional Council, the site features ancient olive presses, wine presses, burial caves and a mosque. Local youth from Neriah initially developed the area by installing benches, planting trees and renovating springs, including one dedicated to the memory of three Israeli teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel, who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Gush Etzion in 2014.
The court criticized state authorities and the Binyamin Regional Council for their handling of the site, noting their failure to comply with a 2021 compromise agreement that would have preserved the parks while cementing over the springs, removing certain structures and relocating the memorials.
Atara Yogev, whose son IDF Sgt. Boaz Yogev who was killed during Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, expressed strong opposition to the decision in a Channel 14 interview, questioning the court's sensitivity and arguing that the ruling could set a precedent affecting other archaeological locations in Israel.
“What the Supreme Court couldn't achieve on Oct. 7, it is now trying to accomplish. We see the Supreme Court acting against the State of Israel, yes, against the people of Israel," she said. "How can it be that you stand here in memory of soldiers who risked their lives to save the State of Israel? How can it be that no eye sheds a tear, that their hands don’t tremble when they come and sign such a decision?”
