The movie set
Photo: Roee Hadi
Palestinians have been outraged over the past two day by reports of a new Israeli outpost being built near the village of Deir Istiya in the Samaria region of the West Bank, only to learn the "outpost" was actually a movie set.
Nazmi Salman, a known Palestinian activist in Deir Istiya, was behind the false reports. He claimed a group of settlers, which he believed were from the nearby Nofim settlement, hastily built an outpost on lands near Khirbet Shihada.
According to Salman, there has been an increased presence of Israelis in the area who, over two days, erected 13 tents, set up several wooden caravans and installed a power line to provide electricity to the site.
Salman said the "settlers" also started work on a road connecting Nofim to the new "outpost."
Farmers from Deir Istiya said any attempt to come near the site was stopped by armed guards.
Salman's report spread quickly and was even featured in several major news outlets in the Palestinian Authority, including the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
But it later transpired that the "outpost" was actually a temporary set of a movie featuring children's star Yuval Shemtov, known as Yuval HaMebulbal (Yuval the Confused), scheduled for release in the summer of 2018.
Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who is working to bring Israeli productions to the area, said, "We made it our goal to bring Samaria into the heart of Israeli consensus. Part of that is bringing Israeli cinema to Samaria. I believe that after this movie, more movies will be filmed here. There are a lot of open spaces here with a variety of breathtaking views and a welcoming population that is happy to help and take part. I believe we can make the Samaria Israel's cultural capital."