In a departure from usual practices under the hardline right-wing leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli security forces demolished multiple buildings today, Monday, in the unauthorized “Aeira Shahar” settlement located centrally in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s prominent “Yedioth Ahronoth” newspaper reported that army bulldozers, backed by police forces, razed or evacuated five buildings near the “Kokhav Hashahar” settlement east of the Palestinian city of Ramallah. The publication clarified that the now-vacated structures were erected on Palestinian lands or “state-owned” lands without permits. The demolished edifices are part of a larger complex of 20 buildings within the settlement.
Extremist Israeli right-wing activists responded vehemently. They burned tires on the access roads to the settlement and scattered “ninja” caltrops to obstruct the approaching route. Some were seen climbing military bulldozers sent for demolition. An activist was detained amidst attempts to prevent the evacuation. A settlers’ statement indicated many locals rallied at the scene to protest the evacuation, emphasizing this was the first such move since the inception of the right-wing government.
Security officials labeled the action as extraordinary by the law enforcement authorities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) under the prevailing policy. Since the appointment of Batsl’il Smutrich as a minister in the Israeli Defense Ministry, the Israeli army received directives from the political leadership to refrain from evacuating illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
According to data from the Settlement Affairs Authority of the Palestine Liberation Organization, approximately 752,000 Israeli settlers reside in 176 large settlements and 186 random settlement outposts in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu leads a government that includes the most radical right-wing religious and nationalist parties supportive of settlements and hostile towards Palestinians. Renowned figures, including U.S. President Joe Biden, described this administration as the most extreme in Israel’s history. There’s been a surge in attacks from settlers of the extremist “Hilltop Youth” movement. Just this August 4th, settlers attacked the Barka village southeast of Ramallah, killing a 19-year-old, Qusai Jamal Ma’tan. Police later detained settlers associated with the incident but they were subsequently released.
