Israeli Supreme Court Rejects Petition to Demolish Illegal Vehicle Scrap Yards in West Bank

The Israeli Supreme Court has dismissed a petition filed by the Regavim movement and the Benjamin Regional Council demanding the immediate demolition of five large illegal vehicle scrap yards near Road 446, between the villages of Qibya and Ni'lin in the western Benjamin area of the West Bank. The petition, submitted in March, called on the Defense Minister, Central Command Chief, and Civil Administration head to enforce demolition orders against these scrap yards, which operate in Area C under full Israeli control.

According to the petitioners, these sites pose serious security and safety risks as thousands of stolen or off-road vehicles are dismantled there for parts or illegally re-registered and driven on West Bank roads. Regavim highlighted that many terror attacks have involved unregistered vehicles sourced from these yards, and that unauthorized trade in scrap and parts fuels a longstanding vehicle theft crisis in Israel.

Despite ongoing legal proceedings against one scrap yard lasting nearly two decades without resolution, the court accepted the state’s argument that multiple enforcement actions, including the issuance of various orders, have been taken. The judges, Alex Stein, Yechiel Kasher, and Gila Kanfi-Steinitz, ruled there was no basis to intervene in the authorities’ discretion.

Roi Drucker, Regavim’s Judea and Samaria regional director, sharply criticized the ruling, calling the area a "lawless zone under the Supreme Court’s protection" where stolen vehicles are processed unchecked, harming public safety and the environment. He lamented that after 20 years of unchecked scrap yard operations, the court equated mere issuance of orders with effective enforcement, mocking the law.