Beit El: Soldiers throw stun grenade at rightists

Dozens of rightists, including Ulpana residents, protest outside Binyamin Brigade base; some of them shake fence before being dispersed

Itamar Fleishman|Published: 06.08.12 , 16:33

Some 50-70 right-wing activists demonstrated on Friday near the entrance to the Binyamin Brigade's base in the West Bank against the government's decision to evacuate five homes in the Ulpana neighborhood.

According to initial reports, some of the protesters approached the IDF base's fence and shook it. The rightists ignored the soldiers' order to stop, forcing the troops to hurl a stun grenade in their direction. The crowd dispersed shortly thereafter. Among the demonstrators were residents of Ulpana.

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The base's main gate is located just dozens of meters from where the homes that are designated for evacuation are expected to be relocated to.

On Wednesday the Knesset upheld a High Court ruling ordering the evacuation of five homes in the neighborhood, which is located in the settlement of Beit El, due to the fact they were built on private Palestinian land.

Earlier on Friday, unknown vandals punctured the tires of several parked cars in the Jewish-Arab village of Neve Shalom. The words "revenge," "death to Arabs" and "regards from Ulpana" were spray-painted on the vehicles.

The vandals also daubed the words "regards from Havat Gilad" and "revenge" on the wall of a local elementary school. Havat Gilad is a Jewish outpost in the West Bank.

Police have launched on investigation.

Following the Knesset vote, rightists demonstrated at the entrance to Jerusalem and burned tires. Meanwhile, dozens of teenagers threw stones at cars travelling along a road near the Havat Gilad outpost and clashed with Border Guard officers.

The teens, who were also protesting the decision to evacuate homes in Ulpana, set fire to a nearby field before security forces dispersed them using stun grenades.