MK Orit Struk (Jewish Home) visited the village of Kida in southern Samaria (Shomron) on Thursday, where she met with the director of the grassroots Shomron Residents' Committee, Sagi Keisler, and his wife Morag. Their home was demolished Wednesday by the IDF's Civil Administration, despite having a permit.
Struk pledged to work to prevent similar demolitions in the future, and said that what happened there Wednesday was "inconceivable." "This is a matchless act of cruelty...a 'targeted killing'; even terrorists' homes aren't destroyed anymore," she said.
The Hebrew term for targeted killings, sikul memukad, has come to be used in reference to any operation or action specifically targeting an individual in order to cause him serious harm.
It was reported that several weeks ago, Keisler was among a number of activists arrested for distributing leaflets near the home of the Chief Inspector of the Civil Administration in Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi. The activists were released the same day by the court, which criticized the police "for not knowing the difference between illegal and legitimate activities like the one they were arrested for."
"It's shocking to see this attack on a family that invested all its funds to build a home in the land of Israel," said Struk. "It's unavoidable to think this is a 'targeted killing' for Sagi's activities for the sake of the land of Israel."
Struk turned to the public, requesting as follows: "I call on everyone who can to help the family in these difficult times and give them the feeling that they aren't alone, as befitting pioneers who go ahead of the camp."
Chairman Mesika: 'a black day for Israel's morality'
Gershon Mesika, Chairman of the Shomron Regional Council, slammed the demolition, calling it "a black day for the morality of the state of Israel."
"The Civil Administration selectively chose to destroy precisely the home of the Director of the Shomron Residents' Committee, who works night and day for the settlement of the land, and chose to lie to the defense minister claiming the home was mobile and uninhabited," charged Mesika.
Mesika spoke about the motives behind the destruction, saying "apparently Keisler's democratic activities for settlements annoyed certain members of the security establishment, who felt the way to influence what's happening in the country is by silencing people and destroying the lives of a family."
The demolition has sparked rage, as protesters demonstrated in front of Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's home Wednesday, accusing him of committing a "price tag" vandalism crime in wantonly razing Kaisler's home.
"There is no explanation for this other than to say that this was an act of revenge against Sagi, who has worked for years on behalf of the communities of Judea and Samaria," charged the Shomron Residents' Committee. "The demolition of the home of the Committee's Director is a 'Price Tag' act by the Minister of Defense."
Benny Katzover, Chairman of the same committee, decried the destruction on Wednesday, saying "it was a permanent home, a family of four children built their houses on state land allocated to them." He argued that Ya'alon has made former Defense Minister Ehud Barak look good by comparison.