(JTA) — Hundreds of Israeli police officers evacuated eight of nine homes slated to be demolished in a West Bank settlement.
The homes located in the West Bank settlement of Ofra were ordered demolished by Israel’s Supreme Court after it was determined that they were built on Palestinian-owned land. The evacuation began Tuesday ahead of a March 5 court-ordered deadline for tearing them down.
Families in eight of the homes agreed to evacuate peacefully, but hundreds of pro-settlement youth have taken over the remaining house, which was unoccupied.
One teen has been arrested and eight police officers injured so far in the evacuation.
The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request to seal the homes instead of demolishing them, The court also determined that the arrangements law, which legalizes West Bank outposts built on private Palestinian land, does not apply to these homes.
The homes were built in 2008.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
