Residents of Kiryat Netafim in the Shomron are very thankful to the radical-left Peace Now group for having led to the legalization of their newest neighborhood. Peace Now filed suit in the Supreme Court earlier this year against the construction and population of 15 homes in Kiryat Netafim, a 25-year-old Jewish town in Samaria near Ariel. Peace Now claimed that the homes were built on Arab land. The Court issued a restraining order against the construction. At the time, Shomron Regional Council head Gershon Mesika threatened to sue Peace Now for slander. “The construction is on land that is on the town’s original zoning plan, which is being held up for political reasons only because the Defense Minister refuses to sign," Mesika said. "The land is not Arab land.” As a result of the suit, the State announced abruptly on Tuesday of this week that it officially approves the construction in Kiryat Netafim, and will take the necessary steps to finalize all necessary permits. This, despite the American-pressured freeze on Jewish building in Judea and Samaria announced last month. The 15 homes in question will therefore not be razed, and the families living there are breathing a sigh of relief. “This announcement has led to a burst of excitement,” the town announced, “and at the same time, we thank the representatives of Peace Now for having brought the matter to court.” “We will proceed with the construction according to the plan as soon as we receive the papers,” the town announced. “We are full of hope that our neighbors in the other towns in Judea and Samaria will receive the same treatment.” Kiryat Netafim was founded in 1984 as a religious-Zionist communal town. Some 85 families currently live there, many of them belonging to the Yemenite Jewish community.
