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Israeli PM: 'We Oppose Demolition in Beit El'

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- As if it weren't enough to be at odds with the U.S. and Western powers over his opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have alienated his right-wing support base.

Hundreds of Israeli police forces stormed the Jewish community of Beit El in Samaria after dark Monday, clashing with residents attempting to defend two buildings slated for demolition by a High Court ruling, deeming them illegally built.

Beit El -- or Bethel (House of God) -- is mentioned in the book of Genesis as the place where Jacob had his well-known dream of angels ascending and descending on a ladder. Modern day Beit El was built in the same area and has a population of more than 6,000 Israeli residents. There has been a dispute with Israeli authorities over the structures for several years.

Police used riot control methods to subdue residents, leaving a border patrol unit to guard the site, declaring it a closed military zone.

Construction on the buildings began in 2010, with the state issuing permits for the foundations. Opponents, who claim the buildings are on Palestinian land, filed a petition halting construction. It's been back and forth ever since.

Tenth Anniversary of Gaza Pullout

Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the government's expulsion of nearly 10,000 Israelis from 21 communities in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip and four in northern Samaria, footage of security forces manhandling Beit El residents Monday night revived painful images from 2005.

That exodus provided an open door for Hamas to seize control of the Gaza Strip and launch a hail of rockets on southern Israeli communities time and again.

Netanyahu's right-wing coalition partners reacted angrily to the clashes. Education Minister Naftali Bennett accused Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon of "inciting tensions" instead of bringing calm.

"The time has come for a nationalist government to lead with the ideology for which it was elected instead of the path of the left," he said.

Bennett, chairman of the Jewish Home Party, threw his support behind Netanyahu in the last election, some say essentially costing his party three seats.

Build, Not Destroy

Meanwhile, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze'ev Elkin said this is a time for Israel to build.

"These days, when we painfully commemorate the expulsion from Gush Katif and northern Samaria, are a time to build up, not a time to destroy," Elkin said.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel took it a step further, telling Israel Radio Tuesday morning the incident could convince him to quit the coalition, something Netanyahu's 61-member cabinet couldn't afford.

"To flagrantly use violence in such a manner is a horrible mistake and it is unforgivable," he said, calling such actions irreconcilable for the religious Zionist Jewish Home Party.

Netanyahu, for his part, issued a statement Tuesday morning saying the government is "acting to bolster the settlements" in accordance with the law.

"Our stance regarding the houses in Beit El is clear," the statement read. "We are opposed to demolishing them and are pursuing judicial courses to prevent such a step."

A senior defense ministry official quoted anonymously by the Times of Israel said the judicial process is ongoing.

"Since the construction of 24 housing units at the site was approved by the Civil Administration, and following residents' appeal to the High Court of Justice on the matter in an effort to prevent the demolition, it will only be carried out if the High Court orders it," he said. "We're still in the midst of a judicial process."

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About The Author

Tzippe
Barrow

From her perch high atop the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, Tzippe Barrow tries to provide a bird’s eye view of events unfolding in her country. Tzippe’s parents were born to Russian Jewish immigrants, who fled the czar’s pogroms to make a new life in America. As a teenager, Tzippe wanted to spend a summer in Israel, but her parents, sensing the very real possibility that she might want to live there, sent her and her sister to Switzerland instead. Twenty years later, the Lord opened the door to visit the ancient homeland of her people.