Forces gird to raze outpost with defiant history
State required to evacuate Amona, site of 2006 battle, by July 15, but legal delays possible; Border Police scout location in undercover operation
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Security forces are gearing up for the planned evacuation of a contentious outpost in the West Bank, the scene of violence between settlers and Israeli troops during a previous evacuation in 2006.
Last week, a group of Border Police and Israel Police officers, who are to command the operation to clear the Amona outpost, staged an undercover visit to scout the site, the Haaretz daily reported on Monday. The operation is planned to be carried out by a 4,000-strong force and is ready to be launched with 24-hour notice, according to an anonymous police source.
In April, the High Court of Justice granted an extension on a standing demolition order against the large illegal outpost, giving the state until July 15 to clear the site. Now, as that date approaches, security forces and settlers are gearing up for what is likely to be a difficult struggle.
Amona residents have filed a petition, requesting a delay in the evacuation due to pending land ownership claims.
The Amona outpost, on a hilltop outside Ofra in the central West Bank, was founded without state authorization in 1995 on Palestinian land and is home to around 200 people, who live in trailer homes and semi-permanent buildings. The outpost has been the subject of years of legal wrangling.
The outpost was determined to have been built on illegally confiscated Palestinian land, but the settlers have long alleged that they purchased much of the land upon which the outpost is built.
If their petition is allowed to be heard, the legal proceedings could take years to resolve, effectively blocking the pending evacuation order, which was first issued last year but delayed several times, most notably due to the January national elections.
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In addition, it is likely that the evacuation will be delayed by several days, as July 15 is the eve of the fast and mourning day of Tisha B’Av. The state has requested an extension of the evacuation order for that reason.
In 2006, the site was the scene of a pitched battle between thousands of security forces and outpost residents, after the Supreme Court, in response to a Peace Now petition, ordered the demolition of nine permanent houses residents had built.
Some 200 people were injured in the violent clashes, turning the site into a symbol of resistance among some settlers.
The Times of Israel Community.