Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman
Foreign Minister Avigdor LibermanFlash 90

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday evening criticized those who destroyed an IDF outpost near the Shomron (Samaria) community of Yitzhar, describing them as “hooligans”.

"Those who riot and hit Israeli troops and security forces, as did those hooligans in Yitzhar - not only are they not a part of the national camp, they are also not Zionists and they hurt the settlement enterprise and the State of Israel more than all our enemies," Liberman wrote on his Facebook page.

"The legal system must prosecute these rioters to the full extent of the law," he added.

The incident on Tuesday morning began when security forces arrived in Yitzhar and demolished two caravans and another two partially-completed homes.

Security sources said that residents of the community resisted the destruction "in all ways possible." The residents allegedly threw rocks at the demolishing forces. The security sources, for their part, insist that the structures were built illegally and were slated for demolition.

There have been tensions in Yitzhar in recent days, which began after the IDF tore down a new house  belonging to Avi and Shoshana Lazar. The Lazar family was due to move into their new home this week with five children.

On Sunday, the tires of IDF Samaria Brigade Commander Colonel Yoav Yarom's jeep were slashed. A suspect, 16, was arrested Monday in Jerusalem. He studies in a yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem. With assistance from the rights group Honenu, he has been released on house arrest. 

In the meantime, another act of vandalism on an IDF vehicle was reported Monday night in Yitzhar, in an incident almost identical to Sunday's. The IDF stated that the action had "crossed a red line" and that a police and IDF investigation was being launched over the incidents.