ISRAELI POLICE ARREST A MAN AT THE AMONA OUTPOST IN THE WEST BANK ON WEDNESDAY. ISRAELI FORCES HAVE BEGUN EVACUATING THE CONTROVERSIAL SETTLEMENT.
AMONA, WEST BANK •Security forces hauled away defiant Israeli settlers Wednesday amid a final showdown at a hardscrabble Israeli settlement that the supreme court has deemed illegal because it was built on privately owned Palestinian land.
The razing of Amona and the eviction of its 40 families underscored the political challenges for Israeli leaders who count on the support of settlers and plan to further expand the Israeli footprint in the West Bank.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said at least 15 police officers had been lightly injured in scuffles with settlers and their supporters
Last month, after the Israeli court’s eviction order was postponed, the government announced that it had reached an agreement with the settlers — a hefty payout and promises of another spot on the same hillside in exchange for a peaceful move.
But as the days wore on residents of Amona saw no new community being built for them, and Israeli human rights groups filed additional legal petitions on behalf of private Palestinians who claim to own that land, too.
The agreement broke down and on Tuesday, the army gave the settlers 48 hours to leave peacefully.
The story of Amona has presented a huge challenge for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition, which won its election victory partly with support from the settlers.
It also comes as the Israeli government hails the arrival in the White House of President Donald Trump, who they hope will end decades of U.S. criticism of settlement construction.
Last week, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that 2,500 new homes would be built in the West Bank. On Tuesday, in anticipation of the Amona confrontation, they promised thousands more.
“This is a very difficult day, we have tried and tried to prevent this from happening but now we are watching 40 families being evicted from their homes,” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, of the ultranationalist Jewish Home party, said. “But we need to remember that this terrible day will eventually bring about new building in the West Bank.”
But political promises did little to douse the anger of hundreds of young activists who had trudged up the hillside overnight, running through police blockades and braving freezing temperatures.
Devout young Jewish men and women hunkered down inside abandoned houses, barbed wire strung up around doors and windows. They climbed on top of the caravans, waving Israeli flags, and protesters screamed at the police, “Shame on you, this is the land of Israel” and “Jews should not evict Jews.”
Other activists covered the main road into the settlement with rocks, oil and nails to prevent military vehicles from entering.