Dozens of high school students from central Israel were sent by a human resources agency to help Israeli police and military forces late Monday night as they evicted two families from their homes before demolishing the two buildings in a neighborhood in the Jewish community of Yitzhar, in Samaria.
Large forces were tasked with demolishing the homes of two young families in the “Kumi Ori” neighborhood in the southern area of the town, including one family in which the wife had reached the final week of the ninth month of pregnancy.
Hundreds of police officers marched from the village of Orif, while a second force accompanied military engineers as they entered the town from the front gate.
According to a report by the Hebrew-language ‘0404‘ website, “after many long hours the forces left the community without completing the full demolition of the homes, after dozens of residents arrived at the site to passively protest the overnight expulsion” of the young families.
At the start of expulsion activities, the leaders of Yitzhar said they called police officials in an attempt to prevent violence and damage to residents’ property. But according to 0404, young people who were at the scene reported a number of incidents of violence allegedly triggered by police officers,” the website reported.
Dozens of teenage high school students from Rishon LeZion were hired by a commercial human resources agency that told them they were being sent on a routine summer job, according to the report. But many of the youths who found themselves assigned to participate in the expulsion process and were told to help pack family belongings felt they were caught in a difficult spot. They refused to participate, simply dropping the equipment and other items they were handed, 0404 reported.
The IDF later released its own statement, saying “a number of structures were built illegally outside the municipal boundaries of the town of Yitzhar, on privately-owned land.
“Seizure was carried out in accordance with protocols regulating confiscation of caravans. Two other buildings were dismantled but not seized.
“During the incident violence was triggered against the troops, and tires were burned as well,” the IDF said.