Early this morning, a large combined force of IDF and Border Police troops arrived at the Sde Yonatan Farm near Ma’aleh Michmas in the Binyamin Regional Council., where they demolished a goat pen and a few temporary residential structures – and employed extreme violence, wounding one of the teenage residents and arresting three others. According to residents of the neighboring community, the demolition is the direct result of the “settler violence” campaign that continues to be aggressively promoted by pro-Palestinian groups.

The Regavim Movement reacted to this morning’s enforcement action in a statement released by spokesperson Tamar Sikurel: “Anyone familiar with the area understands just how absurd this morning’s enforcement action was. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the facts – even a cursory glance at the map leaves no room for doubt: Within a 2 km (1 mile) radius of the site of this morning’s demolitions there are no fewer than 317 illegal Arab structures – all in Area C, the area under full Israeli jurisdiction, built in the course of a years-long frenzy of Palestinian Authority annexation of the territory; 38 of these structures were built within the last 12 months.”

“It is inconceivable that while Israel is at war, and every one of us, whether on the front lines or the home front, is contending with unbearable loss, unspeakable pain and indescribable challenges, our defense system diverts forces of this magnitude for enforcement actions against Jewish residents, Sikurel added. The entire region is overrun with hostile Arab encroachment, construction that poses a clear and imminent danger to Israel’s security. Law and order are important, but this morning’s action reeks of selective enforcement and exposes policy conceptions that must be re-examined and revised, before it’s too late.”