Six security force tractors destroyed four structures Thursday morning in the budding Jewish community of Givat Netzer near Bethlehem.
Around 8:45 AM, six vehicles driven by the Yassam special border police force arrived at Givat Netzer. They destroyed two camouflage awnings, a temporary structure and a bathroom. In addition, they uprooted at least one tree.
Yaakov Rodan, founder of Givat Netzer, is determined to rebuild the community, which has been destroyed eight times since its founding on the holiday of Chanukah in December 2005. As he started to rebuild the destroyed buildings on Thursday, an army patrol requested that he immediately leave the premises. Rodan confronted the patrol, asking, “Where’s your written order?” The troops subsequently departed.
Givat Netzer, a few miles south of Bethlehem, is adjacent to the Jewish towns of Elazar, Efrat and Alon Shvut. Rodan founded Netzer in the aftermath of the government’s expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif. “I could either be on the side of the expellees or expellers. I made a commitment to never let this happen again at all costs,” Rodan said.
Although no one actually lives in Givat Netzer, Rodan makes it a point to learn Torah there daily, usually with a few study partners. The Etzion Community Council has given at least its tacit approval by donating a sukkah booth to the nascent community. “The government wants to isolate each Jewish community,” Rodan said, “We want to open each community’s territorial continuity. It’s the difference between living in a bunker versus living freely in the Land of Israel.”
“It took six command cars of Yassamniks to destroy a few buildings that were unmanned. In the Peace House [which has received eviction orders –ed.], the army is going to have their work cut out,” Rodan remarked.