Hundreds of police officers accompanied by heavy machinery on Monday morning raided the Givat Tzur Misgabi outpost, also known as “Givat Hatilim,” in Gush Etzion.
At the start of the raid, the forces surrounded the homes of the outpost’s 25 families ahead of their demolition.
The hilltop was established north of Metzad about two years ago, on survey land, and succeeded in pushing back an encroaching Palestinian Authority takeover from the nearby village of Si’ir on the Kanub ridge.
Over the past two years, the outpost has grown and today includes more than 25 families, additional homes under construction, and a synagogue built at the site.
Residents of the outpost said, “This is a demolition on a broad scale, the likes of which have not been seen in the past decade, and it may set a dangerous precedent for settlement.”
Hundreds of residents from towns in Judea and Samaria are currently making their way to the area in an attempt to prevent the demolition.
Nachala movement chairwoman Daniella Weiss issued a rare public statement in response to the demolition, calling on the public to come and resist it.
“The public is urgently called to come and prevent the destruction of dozens of homes built with great effort on the hilltops near the community of Metzad - ‘Givat Hatilim,’” she said.
Weiss added, “Heavy machinery has been mobilized in the Gush Etzion area to carry out destruction on an unprecedented scale. The unrestrained attack on hilltop youth was a psychological prelude, meant to prepare the public for harm to settlement points. We must stop the demolition! Get to Metzad immediately!”