Israeli forces demolish illegal structures at Mitzpe Yitzhar

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, vows to rebuild the structures, one of which was built in honor of terror victim Rina Shnerb.

By JNS

Israeli security forces on Monday demolished several illegally built structures near Mitzpe Yitzhar in Samaria.

One of the rudimentary structures was constructed in honor of Rina Shnerb, who was killed in a terrorist bombing in August 2019. Her father and brother were seriously wounded in the attack, which occurred while the three were hiking near a natural spring close to the town of Dolev.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, vowed to rebuild the structures.

“Our law enforcement authorities find the resources to destroy a small observatory built by a youth in honor of a terror victim, while hundreds of illegal Arab homes are being constructed,” noted Dagan, adding: “Shame.”

According to the NGO Regavim, there are more than 170 illegal outposts in Area C of Judea and Samaria created by the Palestinian Authority and funded by the European Union.

Earlier this year, the organization presented documentation to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee showing massive illegal Palestinian construction, particularly where Jewish communities were located before being evacuated as part of the 2005 disengagement plan.

The illegal structures have created a land bridge between blocs of P.A.-controlled towns and villages in Area B, thereby undermining the Oslo framework that left the question of territorial contiguity for a negotiated resolution, according to Regavim.