Five arrested, 12 injured as security forces clash with settlers

Homesh and surrounding areas have become a flashpoint after a yeshiva student was killed by Palestinian terrorists and the government has scheduled demolition of the seminary.

By World Israel News Staff

Five people were arrested on Monday after settlers and border policemen clashed at the Homesh hilltop and the Oz Zion outpost in the Binyamin region.

At least eight border policemen and four settlers were injured during the clashes ,which began after police forces and the Civil Administration evacuated and demolished a number of illegal structures in Oz Zion and confiscated building material in Homesh.

The Oz Zion outpost has been evacuated several times but repeatedly been repopulated. According to settlers at the scene, two families and several youths live in the area.

Two policemen were injured lightly in Oz Zion, and five activists were arrested. Two settlers barricaded themselves inside one of the buildings using an iron and concrete device to secure themselves to the structure.

Border police officers and the IDF’s Homefront command rescued the pair after several hours from what they called a “life-threatening situation.”

Olive trees were also set alight at the site, and the fire department was called to the scene.

Meanwhile, another six police officers and at least four settlers were lightly wounded at Homesh after activists blocked the road, using rocks and a car, and damaged a security vehicle stopped in the road by climbing underneath it and grabbing the wheels. No arrests were reported.

The Civil Administration arrived to confiscate material believed to be intended for building more settlements in Homesh ,which houses the Homesh Yeshiva.

The seminary has been slated to be evacuated after terrorists shot at a number of students several weeks ago, killing one.

The family of the victim, Yehuda Dimentman, has asked the government to authorize the yeshiva in his memory.

Following Monday’s clashes, the yeshiva said that “any construction material confiscated today is another bullet aimed at Yehuda Dimentman.”

IDF forces have allowed the yeshiva to continue operating for over 15 years since the settlement was evacuated as part of the 2005 unilateral disengagement from Gaza and four Samarian settlements. However, the IDF has since arrived twice to take down a number of temporary structures that were built after the terror attack that claimed Dimentman’s life.