The Regavim movement sent an urgent letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz, Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, the regional command chief, and the Civil Administration, demanding rapid action to enforce the law against illegal infrastructure work in the Hebron Hills.
The work is taking place in the northwest of the settlement of Karmel, within a military construction prohibition zone, adjacent to the main regional road, Route 356.
According to the letter, the work includes development, road paving, installation of electricity poles, and their connection to the power grid. Regavim claims that the work was spotted and reported in real time about two weeks ago, yet it continues and expands day by day.
Regavim further asserts that the area already contains widespread illegal construction, and that the new infrastructure is intended to consolidate it and even allow additional building adjacent to the main road-an arrangement they say poses both safety and security risks. The movement demands that enforcement be made a top priority, before the work reaches a completed state.
The head of the Hebron Hills Regional Council, Eliram Azulai, said, “Do not endanger our lives. Construction and invasion of state lands next to Jewish communities and roads can easily become a launch point for terror and create safety and security hazards on the roads. I thank the council’s Land Department, which was the first to identify and report in real time the start of the illegal work along Route 356."
“Unfortunately, while our teams on the ground show determination and vigilance, we encounter delays from the security system. It is unacceptable that the council reports the first tractor, but enforcement only arrives once electricity is already flowing through the poles. We demand an immediate halt to the work and the exercise of sovereignty in the area," Azulai concluded.
Roi Druker, coordinator for the Judea and Samaria region at Regavim, said, “We again warn that the infrastructure issue must not only enter the enforcement priority list, it must head it, with the understanding that if we stop the infrastructure, the entire invasion will be halted. Conversely, if we ignore road paving and the installation of electricity and water systems, it is no surprise that new buildings will appear the next day."