We like sharing our success stories, about when we’ve managed to stop a hostile seizure of Israel’s land resources or halt an environmental hazard. This one is also about a success, but it’s not a perfect story by any means.

Following a petition we submitted to the High Court of Justice, the Civil Administration began to ruin an illegal road that the Palestinian Authority (PA) paved along Nahal Heletz in Gush Etzion. About two months ago, the PA paved the road in order to connect between the Area B villages of Battir and Husan.

As usual, the Civil Administration (CA) was hesitant to carry out enforcement at first. Instead of identifying the threat early on, the CA waited too long. Only after our repeated approaches and the petition that we filed, and only once the road’s construction was more or less complete, the CA remembered to enforce the law – so they could tell the Courts: "Look, we did something!"

The authorities began to restore the area to its original state, but only partially. The asphalt was removed, but the route remains breached.

Our experience teaches that a game of cat-and-mouse with the authorities will now begin. The PA will try to re-pave the road, in an attempt to expand the illegal construction that creates a stranglehold around Jewish settlement in the area.

In short, there’s definitely a success here, but still lots more to do to preserve Israeli state lands. We’ll continue to be at the forefront, in the field and elsewhere, and ring the alarm bells so that the law enforcement system operates as it should.

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