Civil Administration forces demolished illegal structures in the Arab village of Umm el-Kheir, adjacent to the town of Carmel in the Har Hevron area, this morning (Tuesday).
Some of the structures that were demolished were funded by the European Union and built by the Palestinian Authority.
Last month the residents of Carmel were shocked to discover several new structures that were hastily put up right next to their town's fence. The structures sported the EU flag. The Har Hevron Regional Council, together with the "Regavim" movement, appealed to the Civil Administration and even sent out a demolition notice.
Head of the Har Hevron Regional Council Yochai Damari spoke about the demolition: "This morning the legal authorities acted against criminals and did justice quickly. I hope this signals the beginning of a new trend because until now the message sent by Israel's reluctance to enforce the law was that this kind of construction was approved of. This brought about an increase in the scope of illegal construction by the Arabs.
Damari says the situation on the ground is still far from satisfactory. "We can't have such blatantly selective enforcement. We in Har Hevron have been dealing with a construction freeze for over a year now. Every pipe and every caravan are put under the most exacting legal microscope while right next to us there are people who build whatever and whenever they want in open contempt for the law."