Residents remove belongings from home in Ofra
Residents remove belongings from home in OfraFLASH90

Border Police officers evacuated a number of youths from a home in Ofra on Sunday, one of nine homes slated for demolition.

The house, which had been sitting vacant, was occupied by a number of young activists opposed to the planned destruction of the nine houses inside Ofra.

Officers demanded the youths leave the building and remove their personal belongings. After consultations between the Border Police officers and a youth coordinator in Ofra, the young men agreed to vacate the building without resistance. Security forces then left the scene.

By Sunday evening, however, residents reported that the evicted activists had returned to the home.

While some of the nine families targeted by the eviction orders have vacated their homes ahead of the anticipated demolitions, activists say they plan on returning for the evacuation itself to demonstrate against the eviction orders.

Owners of the nine homes have called upon the government to apply the newly passed Regulation Law to their houses, retroactively normalizing their status. They asked to seal the homes instead of destroying them, so they could return once their status is regulated.

Last Wednesday the government stated that there would be no retroactive normalization of homes using the Regulation Law.

MK Betzalel Smotrich, who wrote the law, disagrees with Attorney General Mandelblit who said the law does not apply to the homes in Ofra. Smotrich asked to be part of the defense team and said that clause 7 of the law specifically allows regulating the homes in Ofra..