This morning (Tuesday) Border Police and Civil Administration officials arrived in the Kiryat Arba neighborhood known as “Mitzpeh Avichai” to destroy the temporary structures set up there.
It was from here that the terrorist who murdered Hallel Yaffa Ariel in June penetrated the Kiryat Arba security perimeter. Ever since her murder, residents of Kiryat Arba and supporters of Israeli settlement of the Land of Israel have flocked to the location, demanding that a permanent neighborhood be established there.
For the past month-and-a-half, the Ariel family has undertaken a public relations campaign to prevent the evacuation of the area. Nevertheless, this morning evacuation crews arrived to carry out the order. Residents of Kiryat Arba note that the Ariel family, as well as supporters, are currently at the site.
Amichai Ariel challenged Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman: “I feel that the evacuation of Mitzpeh Avichai, which for 19 years has been blocked from obtaining a neighborhood by the civil administration, causes me, Rina, Kena, and Shira to feel abandoned, and encourages the next murder,” he said.
Malachi Levinger, Head of the Kiryat Arba City Council, addressed the event, saying: “With great pain, we see security forces evacuating families that came to this area of Kiryat Arba/Hevron. We are repeating our demand to build a neighborhood in the area, and I expect the Defense Minister to stop the evacuation and immediately allow building. Kiryat Arba/Hevron, which took a hard hit in the terror wave, stands strong and demands from all the ministers and MKs who came for the seven days of mourning following Hallel Yaffa’s murder and obligated themselves to build the neighborhood to keep their promises and act towards the completion of building and populating the area.”
MK Motti Yogev (Jewish Home) has turned to the Defense Minister, the Coordinator for Government Activity in the Territories and home front command, demanding clarification of the protocols that were involved in the latest evacuations, including in Esh Kodesh yesterday.
Yogev, who is supposed to meet with the government coordinator tomorrow, asked Liberman: “Why do they act one-sidedly, without notifying, towards the destruction of a home in the Jewish community of Esh Kodesh, in such a regulated fashion? It’s not proportional when compared to the almost complete lack of enforcement on illegal Palestinian building on state land in area C.”
It will also be noted that, following the removal of the house in Esh Kodesh yesterday, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said that he was checking the circumstances of the removal, and also promised to clarify the policies implied in such incidents for the future.