IDF to Tell High Court Residents Won't Return to Refugee Camps Soon
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
The IDF will inform Israel's High Court of Justice that residents of refugee camps in the northern West Bank will not return soon, citing unmet operational and infrastructural conditions. These conditions, set by the political echelon, include the IDF's control, underground utilities, and security measures. The Palestinian Authority is responsible for meeting these prerequisites, which it has not yet done. Finance Minister Smotrich has called on the government not to comply with the court's order.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The IDF will tell the High Court that residents of northern West Bank refugee camps cannot return soon.
- The return is contingent on meeting operational and infrastructural conditions set by the political echelon.
- Conditions include IDF control, buried infrastructure, security checkpoints, and PA police stations.
- The Palestinian Authority is responsible for meeting these conditions, but is not close to doing so.
- Finance Minister Smotrich urged the government not to comply with the High Court's order.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is set to inform the High Court of Justice that residents of refugee camps in the northern West Bank will not be able to return to their homes in the near future. The IDF's response follows a directive from the court on Sunday, which demanded a timeline for the return of residents to the camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams.
The IDF's position is that the return will only be permitted after a series of operational and infrastructural conditions, set by the political echelon, are met. According to Central Command, the Palestinian Authority is far from meeting these conditions, and the area is not yet ready for the residents' return.
Key conditions include the IDF completing its control over the area, burying water and electricity infrastructure underground, paving roads according to army-determined routes, establishing checkpoints to prevent the return of terror operatives, and setting up Palestinian Authority police stations within the camps. The IDF emphasizes that this process aims to fundamentally change the reality on the ground, eliminating the characteristics of a "refugee camp" and its associated ethos, transforming the area into a regular urban neighborhood.
Central Command clarified that the responsibility for meeting these conditions lies solely with the Palestinian Authority. While the High Court can demand a timeline in response to a petition filed in September 2025, the actual return depends on the completion of these prerequisites, which the Palestinian Authority is reportedly not close to achieving.
In response to the High Court's decision, Finance Minister Smotrich urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Katz not to comply with the court's order, stating that it would "tie the hands of the IDF."
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