Security forces demolished six buildings in the early morning hours of Tuesday in two unauthorized West Bank settlements — two in Oz Zion and four in Ramat Migron.
In recent years, right-wing activists have attempted several times to establish both locations as settlements, and have been repeatedly thwarted by police.
Security sources said that two of the activists threw rocks at police during the evacuation, but nobody was injured and there were no arrests.
The action came just hours after the new Israeli government was sworn in, and two days ahead of a visit to the country by US President Barack Obama.
Activist Amichai Ben-David accused the government of “flattery and fawning out of fear of the feudal lord Obama” in tearing down the structures.
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The government is attempting “to silence the call for the construction of new settlements in the land of Israel,” Ben-David told Ynet. “But in the coming days we will establish the outposts again, bigger than before.”
Oz Zion was evacuated in December 2012, when settlers clashed with border police and IDF soldiers. Since then, five additional attempts to establish structures at the site have been stopped by security forces.
Ramat Migron is right next to the larger settlement of Migron, from which 50 families were peacefully evacuated in early September 2012 following six years of legal proceedings at the High Court of Justice.
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