Finance minister urges PM Netanyahu, IDF to defy High Court order on Palestinian residents' return to Samaria

Finance Minister and Security Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich blasted the High Court of Justice on Monday for instructing the IDF to establish a timetable for the return of Palestinian residents to their homes in refugee camps in the Samaria region.

The High Court instructed the IDF and the Defense Ministry to provide a timetable for the return of Palestinian residents, who were evacuated from their homes during last year’s large-scale “Operation Iron Wall” counter-terrorism operation, which began in Jenin, located in Samaria (West Bank).

That operation displaced tens of thousands of residents of the so-called refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams. The IDF said the operations were intended to enable greater freedom of action against terrorist infrastructure while reducing the risk to civilians.

While the IDF said the evacuation would be temporary, residents have yet to return home, more than a year after the operation began.

In its decision, the High Court also instructed the government to provide for the humanitarian needs of residents until they can return home.

The case has been before the court since September 2025. Earlier this year, the government argued that ongoing security concerns, similar to those that prompted the original operation, continue to prevent residents from returning home.

The petitioners representing the residents challenged the government’s justification for delaying their return, as well as its claim that it was providing adequate humanitarian aid to the displaced residents.

Smotrich called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz to defy the High Court’s instruction, warning that allowing residents to return could enable the rehabilitation of terrorist infrastructure in the camps. 

“The three High Court justices – Amit, Stein, and Kabub – jeopardize Israel's security,” Smotrich said in a statement on his social media account, referring to Justices Isaac Amit, Alex Stein, and Khaled Kabub. He added: “I call on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to order the IDF not to cooperate with the court and not to allow the reestablishment of these terror camps.” 

“It is astounding how quickly we have reverted to the state of affairs on October 6,” Smotrich also said during an interview with Radio Darom on Monday morning. 

“Time and again, arrogant individuals who understand nothing about security undermine our security and endanger the lives of the country's citizens,” Smotrich said. “The IDF evacuated residents from the most dangerous terror-ridden camps in northern Samaria, yet the High Court of Justice is once again demanding a timetable for their return.” 

He accused the court of “tying the hands of the IDF" and "enabling the restoration of Arab terror infrastructures in northern Samaria that were dismantled by our heroic soldiers under our guidance as the political echelon.” 

Speaking at the Ynet News “People of the State” conference, Smotrich said, "In a year, the court will force the IDF to return Gazans and will open its doors to Hezbollah terrorists. Israel's security is not subject to judgment. The military is responsible for security.'

In a separate statement, he argued that “Israel's security is a non-justiciable matter, entrusted solely to those who bear responsibility and were elected by the people for that purpose.”

Smotrich also pledged to resume the coalition’s judicial reforms, which were a source of significant political division before the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

“We are determined to complete the reform of the Israeli judicial system and to fortify Israel's security for generations!” Smotrich said.