Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., May 08, 2008 Iyyar 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 20:55 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modi'in Illit (Uria Tadmor / Jini) Last update - 09:38 06/05/2008 Panel: Ultra-Orthodox settlement should be city, despite illegal construction By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Bil'in, Matityahu east  The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Modi'in Illit in the West Bank should be granted city status despite suspicions that its council members were involved in authorizing illegal construction, an ad hoc committee set up by the Interior Ministry has recommended. The committee's decision contradicts expert opinions that severely criticized Modi'in Illit's council for its involvement in approving the construction of Matityahu East, a new neighborhood that borders the Palestinian town of Bil'in. Construction of Matityahu East was brought to a halt about two years ago after a petition filed by Peace Now and Bil'in residents to the High Court of Justice, claiming that the project lacked proper permits. Advertisement "[The petition] has exposed a serious phenomenon of building without plans or permits, or with permits issued devoid of a complete plan," the High Court justices wrote. During the committee's hearings, the city council comptroller and Interior Ministry officials severely criticized Modi'in Illit's council. A representative of the Israel Defense Forces, meanwhile, told the committee that the city was in a "state of lawlessness." One of the committee's two members, however, is suspected of being in a conflict of interest. Committee member Zvi Cohen, the mayor of the nearby ultra-Orthodox town of Elad, recently told a local weekly newspaper that he has close ties to Rabbi Yitzhak Guterman, the mayor of Modi'in Illit. "We have loose ties [to Guterman] due to a number of common interests that aren't necessarily related to our geographic proximity," Cohen told the paper. Criticism of the construction of Matityahu East, which envisions 42 buildings containing around 1,500 apartments, began in September 2004. Moshe Moskowitz of the Civil Administration, the highest authority for planning and construction in the West Bank, wrote to the Modi'in council comptroller that the council authorized the project even though it was beyond its jurisdiction. "Construction authorization for the new project of Matityahu East was no doubt given against the instructions of the existing [master] plan and therefore was not within the licensing authority's power," Moskowitz wrote. The petitioners' attorney, Michael Sfard, who asked that construction be halted, said the planning authorities knew about the illegal circumstances and did nothing to stop the project. "The takeover of the lands was carried out by a conspiracy involving private developers and Israeli authorities. Thus, criminal companies that stole private Palestinian lands won the protection of the fence - which was intended as a means of security and became a tool for annexation - as well as backing from the planning authorities, whose approval laundered the offenses," Sfard wrote. In the decision to legalize construction of the new neighborhood, the Supreme Planning Council for Judea and Samaria conceded that it had no master plan for Modi'in Illit, but cited an exception in Jordanian law - the basis for Israeli law in the West Bank - by which small communities do not require a master plan for the construction of new neighborhoods. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Modi'in Illit had 33,200 residents as of September 2006. Related articles: J'lem source: Rice seeks Israel, PA memo before next week's Bush visit Livni: Israel has no hidden agenda for West Bank settlements Boim: 'Natural growth' reason for 100 new settlement homes Bookmark to del.icio.us   Nakba protest World Likud chief calls for cancellation of Nakba Day procession. Perfect match TA court sentences 'DNA Rapist' to 25 years in prison.   1.   Lev Leviev built this city 05:49  |  ted 05/05/08   2.   Lawlessness? lol unlike tel aviv lol 06:34  |  b.moskowitz 05/05/08   3.   How nice from them to build palestinians future homes 07:15  |  Kris Lazar 05/05/08   4.   Robbery 07:44  |  JW 05/05/08   5.   Build a Dungeon 07:59  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/05/08   6.   Modiin Illit 10:32  |  Michael 05/05/08   7.   There seems to be no end to the amount of 12:26  |  kiwi girl 05/05/08   8.   Iran can help clean the illegal settlers from Modi`in Illit 04:52  |  Aounist 06/05/08   9.   How About just ONE article on the Illegal ARAB Construction? 06:58  |  ZADOK 06/05/08   10.   #8 Aounist 07:22  |  * BEN JABO 06/05/08   11.   Legalizing the illegal 09:20  |  Louis 06/05/08   12.   Israel wants land and everlasting war 09:53  |  Sarah 06/05/08   13.   NO ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED!!! 10:27  |  eric 06/05/08   14.   outsider 12:21  |  Di 06/05/08   15.   to #2, dont play the stupid 12:43  |  pitcher 06/05/08   16.   Supreme Council for Theft 14:31  |  Jim 06/05/08   17.   #9 Zadok 14:47  |  Jim 06/05/08   18.   #7 kiwi girl 15:09  |  Jim 06/05/08   19.   #5 Mark of Lewiston 15:22  |  Jim 06/05/08   20.   #3 Kris Lazar 15:24  |  Jim 06/05/08   21.   No double standard here 15:28  |  W 06/05/08   22.   #1 Ted 15:31  |  Jim 06/05/08   23.   Negev Bedouin Precedence 15:36  |  Straight Talk 06/05/08   24.   #13 Eric - stop being a hypocrite 06:20  |  * BEN JABO 07/05/08   25.   # 24 you`re not really into history; are you ben? 13:48  |  eric 07/05/08   26.   #25 Eric - not aware of his surroundings are you? 22:37  |  * BEN JABO 07/05/08   27.   # 26 about your "copy and paste", ben.... 15:29  |  eric 08/05/08

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