Ulpana eviction to be completed by December
Defense Ministry publishes eviction schedule for Beit El settlement neighborhood. 'Contractors will compete to receive tender for government-backed project estimated at millions of shekels,' says ministry official
The eviction of Uplana, the contested neighborhood in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, is set to be completed in Decemeber, a Defense Ministry report which was released on Thursday said.
The report further provided details on the eviction schedule and the various phases in the process.
The High Court of Justice ordered the State to evacuate five homes in Ulpana because they were built on private Palestinian land.
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According to the report, the Defense Ministry has successfully completed the first phase of resettling the families into temporary homes in another part of town.
During the first phase, some 100 Defense Ministry officials were divided into teams and paired up with the families, with the aim of offering them the logistic assistance necessary.
Morning prayer service in Ulpana (Photos: Gil Yohanan)
Aided by ministry staff, 15 families have left their houses and moved into the new ones. Only two families have yet to leave their homes in the settlement. The Dickstein family worked together with ministry officials to prepare for the relocation, while the Phatal family has yet to begin packing up their belongings.
Dr. Uri Harmel was appointed by the Defense Ministry to oversee the eviction and relocation process. "Within four and a half months, we will be able to deconstruct the buildings. However, we still need to find a location for the new permanent buildings," he told Ynet.
The document further noted that the ministry will make an effort to shorten the process so that the eviction will be completed by mid November. "The deconstruction of the buildings has already been completed. Various contractors will compete to receive the tender for the government-backed project."
Each building will be taken apart into 108 pieces, including the ceiling and walls. "This is the first time in Israel where an entire building is torn down," said Harmel, adding that the project's cost in estimated at millions of shekels.
The eviction of Uplana's 33 families began Tuesday morning, bringing an end to a tumultuous legal battle over its future. Defense Ministry bulldozers, movers and contractors arrived at the settlement in the early morning hours to oversee the process.
Ahead of the relocation, the defense establishment had caravillas shuttled to the settlement.
Gilad Shenhav contributed to this story
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