Israeli security forces began expelling Jewish families Sunday morning from the 10 homes in the Tapuah West village in the northern West Bank’s Samaria region.
The homes are expected to be demolished following a an order from Israel’s Supreme Court.
Some of the homes are built on Israeli state land and others are built on land that has not yet been designated (“seker lands”). A year ago the Israeli High Court ordered the 17 homes on the hilltop destroyed, including those that had permits from the Civil Administration. As always, the process began when leftwing NGO petitioned the court to destroy the neighborhood.
Hundreds of policemen and soldiers had already arrived at the mountain village Saturday night in a show of force, and began forcefully evacuating teenagers who had come to resist the evictions and impending destruction.
Some 11 officers were reported injured, as well as an unknown number of male activists, including five or six teens.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan called on security forces to stop the demolitions and to put a halt to the violence.
“This is a needless evacuation. I am calling on the defense minister. I am calling on the prime minister to stop this thing,” he said.
Police detained more than 40 boys and girls on the mountain, who were then taken to the northern Judean town of Ofra and said to be released without interrogation.
Another 10 teenagers were also detained at several intersections on the way to Tapuah. All were released, except for a 15-year-old boy arrested at the Ofra junction.
The Honeinu legal aid organization stated that during the arrest of the minor, the police threatened to use a taser on him. He was taken to the Binyamin station where he was interrogated, after which he was released to house arrest for five days.
Attorney Nati Rom assisted the minor on behalf of the organization.
