Jan. 31 (UPI) — Residents of the Jewish settlement of Amona, West Bank, were given 48 hours to abandon their homes and evacuate, the Israeli army announced.
The embattled community of 42 families was constructed on land demonstrated in court to be built on land owned by Palestinians. It is one of many small Jewish settlements scattered across the West Bank, territory regarded as part of Palestine if statehood ever comes.
Jews regard the area as part of their ancient homeland of Judea and Samaria. Amona has faced numerous delays and canceled evacuation plans after the Israeli Supreme Court demanded its demolition, but the order given Tuesday by the Israeli Defense Forces, and the 48-hour deadline is regarded by the Israeli government as Amona residents’ final stand.
Notices that Israeli forces will evacuate Amona “in accordance with instructions from the government” were posted Monday, and troops began blocking roads to keep demonstrators from outside the hilltop settlement from arriving. The deadline for leaving the community is Thursday.
A compromise agreement was arranged by Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which the Amona families will leave the settlement, in exchange for passage in the Knesset of the Regulation Law, which would protect other Jewish communities from expulsion over ownership claims, and the relocation of 24 of the Amona families to alternative plots of nearby land. A new community will be constructed for the remaining 18 families.
Amona residents agreed to the deal, but some have said no work has been done on constructing the new neighborhood.
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