Video: After the repeal of the Disengagement Law in Samaria: The Homesh yeshiva was moved to state land (TPS)
The IDF is concerned that moving the Homesh settlement to a permanent location on state land will lead to the establishment of additional settlements in Judea and Samaria. According to a security source, the green light given by Defense Minister Yoav Galant for the activity could set a precedent, including for Sa-Nur. "This is an illegal act, even though it is a directive from the political echelon," the source said. "Any such engineering operation, such as leveling the area with engineering tools, creating access roads, raising caravans, and building additional infrastructure, requires permits."
The military source stressed that the engineering approval processes had not taken place, and therefore there would be an orderly process by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, in which evacuation orders would be issued for the settlement. "The situation that has been created is embarrassing," he said. "The IDF and the Defense Ministry are in a legal crisis because it is clear to everyone that no orderly and legal procedure has been carried out here, and therefore evacuation orders will soon be issued. After that, the question is whether the political echelon will order the evacuation of the area."
The head of the Samaria Regional Council sets a mezuzah at a meeting in Homesh, this morning (Photo: courtesy of those photographed, Homesh meeting)
The defense establishment believes that Galant's green light was received under pressure already in the coalition and that it will draw criticism in the international arena. They added that Galant and Smotrich's silence on the issue would not help eliminate the criticism, but would only increase it.
The Samaria Regional Council announced this morning that yeshiva students in the settlement of Homesh moved it overnight to a permanent location on state land. This followed the repeal of the cleansing law in Samaria two months ago, and despite strong international criticism of the possible return to the settlement that was evacuated in 2005.
The United States spoke out against moving the meeting. "We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government's decision to allow its residents to establish a permanent presence in the Homesh outpost, which is inconsistent with former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's commitment to former President George W. Bush and contradicts the current Israeli government's commitments to the Biden administration," the State Department said in a statement. "Settlement expansion undermines the geographical feasibility of the two-state solution, increases tensions and further undermines trust between the parties. We will continue to raise this issue with senior Israeli officials."
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