Injuries, arrests during evacuation of West Bank outposts

Police officers arrested three settlers during the evacuation of two illegal outposts in the West Bank in the early hours of Thursday morning.

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According to the residents, six settlers were injured during clashes that erupted during the evacuation. It was further reported that three police officers sustained mild injuries.

Mitzpe Avichai evacuation (Photo: AFP)

Civil Administration inspectors accompanied by hundreds of police officers razed six illegal structures - which housed five families - in the Yisa Bracha outpost near Jericho. Locals said the officers used violence, adding that six settlers were injured. Police said dozens of settlers threw stones and burned tires.

During the confrontation, one of the settlers refused to come down from the roof of one of the structures. The roof eventually collapsed and lightly injured three officers, who were evacuated to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital in Jerusalem, along with three injured settlers.

The remaining injured settlers were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, also in the capital.

A week ago inspectors evacuated the Mitzpe Avichai outpost near Kiryat Arba. No violence was reported.

The so-called Migron bill, which aims to regulate the status of West Bank outposts, is scheduled to be brought to the Knesset floor next week for a preliminary reading.

The bill, sponsored by Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (Yisrael Beiteinu), states that if a land owner in the West Bank does not take legal action within four years of the time an outpost is built on his land, the structures will not be torn down. Instead – he will receive other forms of compensation.

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