A group of left-wing activists, foreign peace activists and Palestinians arrived at the illegal Yad Yair outpost near Ramallah Thursday and attempted to take over one of the caravans, which is used as an improvised synagogue.
Security officials said that the activists also hung PLO flags at the place.
This is the second time in a month the activists have tried to carry out the move.
Activists raise PLO flags in Yad Yair (Photo: AP)
Yad Yair is not inhabited, but settlers from nearby settlements come there on occasion to hold prayers. The caravan has been torched by Palestinians several times, but the IDF refuses to secure the place and offered the settlers to relocate the synagogue into one of their communities.
IDF forces prevented settlers from accessing the place Thursday and declared the area a restricted military zone.
Some of the left-wing activists claimed that soldiers shot rubber bullets at the protesters although they were not provoked.
One of the activists, Yonatan Pollack, said that the IDF's policy regarding the outpost proved that the army and the government are collaborating with the settlers: "While the government talks about evacuating illegal outposts, the army accompanies settlers who come to pray here every morning."
According to Pollack, the fact that a small group of activists succeeded in taking hold of the outpost proved that the army was capable of doing so easily as well.
Efrat Weiss contributed to the report
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