Massive security forces including the border police, Civil Administration have set upon Shebach Haaretz (Praise the Land), a suburb of the settlement of Yitzhar in the Samaria region. The police destroyed three structures in the hill, confiscating construction equipment as well.
The community’s leaders have harshly condemned the government’s aggression calling the demolition “a violent price tag that harms the community’s efforts to restore peace” reports Hakol Hayehudi.
“The community expressed its staunch opposition against harming IDF soldiers, and precisely because of this, the decision to destroy structures as a punishment is a devastating and unacceptable decision. These steps only add fuel to the fire, rather than calm them down.”
The demolitions appear to be a response of collective punishment for a group of settlers who allegedly attacked IDF vehicles with rocks on Saturday night even though no suspects have been named. There was no Supreme Court order to demolish the buildings as well.
The following video shows police and army forces gathering at the foot of the hill amidst its destruction.
In the past, Breaking Israel News reported that although many local Arabs in Shechem call the villagers “crazy”, the community of Yitzhar boasts the largest amount of kidney donors per capita in all of Israel.