IDF dismantles Religious Zionists MK's 'office' set up in Evyatar

MK Zvi Sukkot (Religious Zionist Party), one of the founders of the illegal Evyatar outpost, set up a field office on Thursday morning in preparation for the rally scheduled to take place in the outpost later on Thursday. It was, however, quickly dismantled by Israeli security forces. 

The Thursday afternoon outpost rally is a response to the murder of brothers Hillel Menachem and Yagel Ya'acov Yaniv on February 26 and the violence which ensued. 

In the intervening days since the brothers were killed in a terror attack in Huwara, there have been several instances of violence in the West Bank including a severely destructive riot in Huwara conducted by settlers as retaliation, as well as the murder of American-Israeli Elan Ganeles in a terror attack near Jericho on February 27.  

MK Naama Lazimi (Labor) tweeted in response to Sukkot's actions: "I await the day when an MK from the Right will arrive and set up an office in Sderot after a night of shelling, outside an emergency room that was closed in Kiryat Shmona or in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem when public housing residents are being evicted. But it won't happen- they simply don't care about anyone except those who settle on Palestinian territory." 

On Thursday evening, a few hundred right-wing activists arrived at Tapuah Junction to hold a protest in support of the reestablishment of the Evyatar outpost. The activists originally intended to hold the protest at the outpost, but the IDF blocked the roads to the outpost.

The organizers of the protest claimed that the protest had received a permit and was suddenly cancelled by the military.

Other recent attempts to re-settle Evyatar

Settlers returned to the Evyatar outpost on Sunday night in response to the murder of brothers Hallel Menachem Yaniv and Yagel Ya’acov Yaniv in a terrorist attack in Huwara earlier in the day.

Dozens of settlers arrived at the outpost with enough supplies to stay at the site for a long period, stating their intention to stay. Security forces attempted to evacuate the settlers overnight; dozens were still present on Monday morning.

By the afternoon, security forces began evacuating the settlers again, with right-wing legal organization Honenu reporting violence at the scene.

Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.