A year and a half after signing an agreement with the government, according to which a yeshiva would be established in Evyatar, a hilltop community in the Samaria Region, the families came to celebrate Sukkot at the nearby Tapuah Junction.
IDF forces and the Border Police did not allow the families to celebrate the holiday there and they spent the first day of Sukkot in an area outside the military demarcation border without a permit.
Established in 2013 following the murder of Evyatar Borovsky at Tapuah Junction, Evyatar was taken down and rebuilt repeatedly. In July 2021, the families were evicted once more, with a promise for recognition of the community and the building of a yeshiva after the completion of a land survey to determine that the land is state land.
The families demand that the government speed up authorization of the settlement and the operation of the yeshiva there. The land survey was completed a year ago, but Defense Minister Benny Gantz (National Unity) is delaying the establishment of the yeshiva.
Chairwoman of the Nachala Settlement Movement Daniela Weiss says, "We don't need to wait for more terrorist acts to return to Evyatar. Gantz must keep his promise. Sukkot will be held in the area."
Co-chairman of Nachala, Zvi Elimelech Sharaf, who also came to the site with his family states that, "The government made the commitment to establish the yeshiva in Evyatar immediately after the land survey. The survey was completed a year ago and, unfortunately, Benny Gantz did not keep his promise. We demand that the yeshiva be established immediately and the families re-settled there."
Hadar Bar Chai of Evyatar adds: "We came with our eight children from Avnei Eitan in the Golan, together with other Evyatar families, to celebrate Sukkot in the settlement. We demand that the Israeli government fulfill its commitment and establish the yeshiva immediately, and allow us to celebrate Sukkot in Evyatar."