Hundreds of police and Border Patrol troops began demolishing two illegally built structures in Kumi Ori, an outpost outside the settlement of Yitzhar Wednesday.
The structures housed two families and were demolished following a Supreme Court ruling last week rejecting a motion by one of the settlers who claimed Israel has no authority over the hilltop because it is part of a Palestinian administered area.
Illegally constructed buildings demolished in Yitzhar outpost
Police set up roadblocks at the entrances to Yitzhar as 450 police troops and civil administration personnel arrived to demolish the structures and secure the demolition teams.
A security official warned the settlers against disrupting the troops "carrying out their mission".
Settlers clashed with forces in the outpost last October resulting in the IDF declaring the area a "closed military zone".
The settlement of Yizhar condemned the demolition of the two structures and demanded security forces "avoid causing another cycle of violence."
Local settlement officials said in a statement that " the government of Israel is concentrating its efforts on the homes of Jewish settlers in Yitzhar though tens of thousands of buildings have been illegally constructed by Arabs in recent years."
The settlers went on to say that homes of terrorists with blood on their hands remain standing and this government policy "will not contribute to calm in the area."
First published: 08:39, 01.15.20