Arab outpost at E1
Arab outpost at E1Arutz Sheva

The State of Israel asked the High Court on Saturday night to order that the illegal Arab outpost that was set up in the E1 area, which connects Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, be destroyed.

In a response it submitted to the Court asking that it rescind an injunction to delay the evacuation, the State wrote that leaving the tents that were set up at the outpost constitutes an immediate security danger and can create serious disturbances.

"It should be emphasized that the establishment of tents in the compound, given its location, is basically an act of protest and defiance which is designed to cause riots with national and international implications," the State wrote. "The vast majority of the tents were built on state-owned land and only a few were established on land that is not state land."

The State explained that the area was declared a closed military zone because of "a real concern to damage to public order" and "the existence of an urgent security need."

Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered security forces to immediately evacuate the Arabs, ordering the closure of access roads to the area in order to prevent gatherings until the High Court rescinds its injunction against the evacuation of the outpost.

Arab activists set up the outpost on Friday in the area that was just recently opened to construction for Israelis.

“We have set up 20 tents, and have enough equipment to stay here for a long time," said Abir Kopty, spokeswoman for the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, told Agence France Presse.

Kopty told AFP that more than 200 PA residents were camping at the site which they had named Bab al-Shams, or 'gate of the sun,' which is located in a corridor of land between the edge of Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim.

"We are willing to stay here until we ensure the right of the owners of the land to build on their lands," she said. "This is a message that we will not remain silent anymore in the face of settlement expansion."