Settlers attack security forces evacuating illegal outpost in West Bank

Extremist settler activists violently attacked Civil Administration and Border Police personnel on Wednesday as they worked to evacuate and demolish the illegal West Bank outpost of Tzur Harel, which the Civil Administration said was built on private Palestinian land.

Some 500 Border Police officers were dispatched to the outpost, near the Givat Assaf settlement in the Benjamin Region, following indications there would be violent resistance to the evacuation efforts.

The decision to evacuate the outpost was made “in accordance with the IDF’s decision and with the Civil Administration,” the Border Police said in a statement.

Rioters threw Molotov cocktails at the forces, the Civil Administration said, after having burnt tires and set a vehicle on fire at the entrance to the outpost when the forces arrived to evacuate the site.

Settler activists also stuck their legs in concrete as part of their efforts to resist evacuation.

Following the demolition of six makeshift buildings at Tzur Harel during the operation, masked rioters threw rocks  at passing vehicles driving on a nearby road, including those of security personnel. READ MORE