Members of the Regavim Movement erected a structure on Monday, decorated with Palestinian and European Union flags, near the Rosh Ha’Ayin home of Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
“In a matter of minutes, municipal patrol units and a police enforcement team arrived at the scene and demanded they evacuate the area,” the organization commented in a communique.
The structure was built as part of the launch of Regavim’s most recent report on the status of land in Area C of Judea and Samaria. The “War of Attrition 2022” report reveals that the rate of illegal Arab construction has increased dramatically over the past year.
It is notable that unlike the government’s immediate response to protect the home of the defense minister, no such response is forthcoming when Palestinian Authority Arabs illegally build homes and schools in IDF firing ranges and elsewhere in Area C, where Israeli jurisdiction is supposedly complete.
Meir Deutsch, Director General of Regavim, presented the central findings of the new study: “During Benny Gantz’s tenure as Minister of Defense, 5535 new illegal Palestinian structures were built in Area C, the Israeli-controlled section of Judea and Samaria.
Regavim conducts precise and in-depth analysis of the situation on the ground every year, and carefully monitors the spread of illegal construction.
This month, when the organization completed its mapping and analysis of the most current data, its members “were shocked and appalled,” Regavim said.
“Although we had strong suspicions that the situation was devolving, the facts are even worse than we imagined: Over the past year, the rate of illegal construction skyrocketed by 80 percent.
“Gantz is not merely abandoning Judea and Samaria, he is actively establishing a de facto Palestinian state,” the organization warned.
“Israeli voters should make no mistake; the upcoming elections are about one thing: Will a Palestinian state arise in the heart of the Land of Israel?”
