Settlers claim police destroyed religious objects during evacuation

Forces ruined holy ark, tore down a tent and violently confiscated electrical equipment, representatives of Homesh yeshiva say

Border Police and Israel Police forces destroyed an ark and religious texts on Monday while evacuating a yeshiva in Homesh, a settlement near the Shomron Regional Council in the West Bank, according to representatives of the yeshiva.

The police forces ruined the ark, tore down a tent and confiscated electrical equipment violently, according to the representative.

Yeshiva representatives went on to say that this is the second time in two weeks that the yeshiva has been forcibly cleared, adding that during the previous evacuation, police forces destroyed the personal belongings of the students including religious texts.

“The yeshiva has been in the same place for 14 years and believes in ‘ never giving up’ from the mitzvah of settling the land or studying Torah. We will continue to learn and teach the love of the land and Torah in Homesh in any condition,” said the representative.

Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said that he was shocked by the incident.

“This is an abnormal event,” he said. “There have been many evacuations and there will probably be many more until the settlement is rebuilt, still there is no reason or explanation for these types of pictures. I expect the incident will be thoroughly examined.”

In response to the event, Chief Rabbi David Lau addressed Defense Minister Benny Gantz in a letter expressing his shock at the images of religious objects being desecrated.

“The pictures of a ruined ark and religious texts rolling around on the floor are not worthy of the Jewish state and these scenes must not repeat themselves. I will not get into the considerations that led you to evacuate the area, I am only addressing the manner of the evacuation that caused intense harm to holy objects.”