Security forces begin evacuating single-family settlement outpost
Border Police say just two wooden structures to be demolished in Geulat Zion, which has been razed and rebuilt nearly a dozen times since its 2011 establishment
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Security forces on Monday began evacuating an illegal outpost near the settlement of Shiloh that has been razed and rebuilt roughly a dozen times since its establishment in 2011.
A Border Police spokesman told The Times of Israel that forces were demolishing a pair of wooden structures that stood on the West Bank hilltop.
Just one family was said to have been living in Geulat Tzion on a permanent basis, but they frequently hosted youth from neighboring outposts who assisted them in agriculture work on the hilltop.
Last week, the residents posted a video on YouTube calling on those “interested in raising settlement to the next level” to join them in working the land on the West Bank hilltop.
תיעוד מפינוי ההתנחלות גאולת ציון בגבעות שילה (צילום: נתי רום/TPS) @OrHeller pic.twitter.com/KPuHTVk0WO
— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) January 8, 2018
The outpost was once larger, housing several families as well as a yeshiva, but the frequent demolitions — often featuring clashes with soldiers — have apparently taken their toll.
Geulat Tzion is located on a hilltop adjacent to the construction grounds of the Amichai settlement for evacuees of the illegal Amona outpost, which was razed last February.
גאולת ציון vs עמיחי טייק 3 : הבוקר חסמו תושבי הגאולה טרקטורים שניסו לפתוח ציר לעמיחי ואמרו להם "אל תרכבו על ההצלחה שלנו. די לכביש העוקף". pic.twitter.com/Pdp37WUUM9
— إليشع بن كيمون. Elisha Ben Kimon. אלישע בן קימון (@elishabenkimon) November 6, 2017
In November, police detained four members of the family living in Geulat Tzion after they blocked construction trucks from entering the area for the third time in a week.
The family claims that the access road to Amichai runs through Geulat Tzion without their consent.
[mappress mapid=”6267″]
The Times of Israel Community.