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A man waving the Palestinian flag at the site of the new outpost, erected in protest of the separation fence, near the West Bank village of Bil'in on Wednesday. (AP)
Last update - 00:00 21/12/2005
IDF completes evacuation of Bil'in 'outpost'
By Meron Rapoport, Haaretz Correspondent

The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday evening evacuated some 50 left-wing activists who had barricaded themselves inside a caravan "outspost" built near the West Bank village of Bil'in on land cut off from the village by the separation fence.

According to activists at the scene, the IDF force numbered some 150 troops, who broke into the caravan using sledge hammers and chains. The caravan was later lifted in the air by a crane to prevent people from returning.

Several activists were also detained for questioning. The activists inside the caravan included 30 Palestinians and 20 left-wing Israeli activists.
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The caravan was situated on land adjacent to the Matityahu East neighborhood of Upper Modi'in, where hundreds of illegal Jewish housing units have recently been constructed.

"Private Palestinian land is in question here, not state land. The village council approved setting up a caravan and thus this is a legal structure," Attorney Michael Sfard, who represents the Bil'in residents, said.

"This will be blatant proof of the fact that there is selective law enforcement if they deal with the poor caravan before the hundreds of housing units built illegally in Upper Modi'in," he added.

Sfard submitted a letter in the name of Peace Now to the Civil Administration demanding a halt to the construction within a week. At the end of this time, Sfard wrote in the letter, he will turn to the Supreme Court.

"After what happened today in Bil'in, there is no reason that the state should defend its decision to continue the construction" in Matitiyahu, Sfard said.

"Now the truth is out, and the truth is that Jews are allowed to break the law and Palestinians are not.

"This," Sfard continued, "is called apartheid."

Security sources said that it was clear to them that immediately after the evacuation, they would need to explain to the court why they are hurrying to act against Palestinian illegal construction and tarrying on curbing illegal construction in the settlements.

According to one of the sources, the Palestinian outpost "turned into a security problem the moment there was no fence separating the caravan dwellers from Israeli territory."

Mohammed Khateb, a member of Bil'in's Popular Committee Against the Wall, said that the container had been placed on land belonging to a village resident and comes with a building permit from Bil'in village council.

The fence cuts village residents off from approximately half of their lands.

Khateb also said that the committee intends to establish a "center for the joint struggle for peace," where the caravan stands.

MK Roman Bronfman (Meretz), who has recently visited Bil'in, said that the evacuation of the caravan proved the Israeli government's double standards when it comes to the separation fence, which aims at robbing Palestinian lands for the benefit of the nearby settlement.

Peace Now activist Dror Ateks said that "it's interesting how thousand of houses were illegally built in settlements, and the army still can't find them, but in Bil'in it was found within 48 hours."

Earlier, the IDF informed Palestinians who set up the "outpost" that they would soon be removed, and used tear gas to disperse more residents who were heading for the site.

But despite army efforts, some 30 Palestinians carrying sacks of cement managed to reach the site, and announced their intention to construct what they called "Bil'in's western neighborhood" there on Friday.

Bil'in has become the symbol of the struggle against the separation fence, serving as the site of dozens of joint Palestinian-Israeli demonstrations in the past year. Some of the demonstrations have ended in violent altercations with security forces.

Dealing with the caravan is liable to be an embarrassment for the IDF and the Civil Administration.

Akiva Eldar of Haaretz recently exposed the Civil Administration's admission that 750 housing units had been built illegally with no permits whatsoever. The caravan, which arrived Wednesday from inside Israel, is standing approximately 100 meters away from the Matityahu East construction site.

According to the law, the Civil Administration can take down the container within a month of its placement without legal proceedings. But the IDF is well aware that if this is done, the Palestinians will formally accuse the Civil Administration of discrimination in hurrying to dismantle a lone Palestinian caravan while ignoring hundreds of illegal units in an adjacent Jewish neighborhood.

Civil Administration sources said that the construction in Upper Modi'in is indeed illegal and "the head of the Administration is examining its options to address the situation."

The same sources say that they are aware that as soon as the caravan is dismantled, they will need to explain to the court why they are rushing to act against illegal Palestinian construction while taking their time in dealing with unlawful building by settlers
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  1.   Nice move 16:00  |  JOHANES Franzen 22/12/05
  2.   This is the way 16:09  |  Henrik 22/12/05
  3.   more of this! 16:51  |  Evert-Jan Grit 22/12/05
  4.   100 Outposts 16:53  |  fred 22/12/05
  5.   If its illegal, tear it down. Tear down all illegal outposts 16:59  |  David Landman 22/12/05
  6.   Swedes? 17:03  |  Ethan 22/12/05
  7.   bravo 17:11  |  vicky 22/12/05
  8.   Palestinian caravan 17:37  |  David 22/12/05
  9.   Democracy vs. Teocracy 17:47  |  Peter 22/12/05
  10.   Interesting 17:53  |  Andreas 22/12/05
  11.   Bil`in Caravan 17:59  |  Steve 22/12/05
  12.   DCO spokesman ++972-50-623-4081 evades public 18:33  |  Isadora Cohen 22/12/05
  13.   Swedes 18:36  |  Kobi former Swede 22/12/05
  14.   Excellent Move! 18:41  |  Jennifer 22/12/05
  15.   settlement 18:51  |  Yas 22/12/05
  16.   Self Righteous Swedes 18:54  |  Ben 22/12/05
  17.   Evert-Jan Grit 18:55  |  Nathan 22/12/05
  18.   Non violent actions 19:00  |  Serge 22/12/05
  19.   End the Palestinian occupation of Shechem 19:05  |  David Landman 22/12/05
  20.   Defenitely the way to go!! 19:22  |  Yaron 22/12/05
  21.   Cute! 19:23  |  Arne And 22/12/05
  22.   Eurabia? Isramerica? 19:27  |  Arne And 22/12/05
  23.   removal starts 19:36  |  Rose 22/12/05
  24.   This will be settled by cooperation 19:42  |  Hani 50 22/12/05
  25.   Arab aggression 19:50  |  Douglas Miller 22/12/05
  26.   To David Landman: Schechem is not Nablus 20:00  |  david james vickery 22/12/05
  27.   Zionism = Zionism & Racism = Racism ??? 20:05  |  brian 22/12/05
  28.   TO David Landman - If its illegal, tear it down. Tear down all illegal outposts 20:11  |  Steve Beikirch 22/12/05
  29.   The only defense - Attack the Sweds! 20:14  |  Pablo B 22/12/05
  30.   TO Jennifer - Excellent Move! 20:22  |  Steve Beikirch 22/12/05
  31.   To Arne And 20:47  |  Kalle Anka 22/12/05
  32.   To all self-righteous gentiles and deluded Jews 21:18  |  Tali 22/12/05
  33.   You thinIs the IDF only tough on the left and on the Pals? 21:41  |  Ilya Feoktistov 22/12/05
  34.   Mofaz is a Sissy 22:01  |  Joe Levi 22/12/05
  35.   david landman 22:20  |  just me 22/12/05
  36.   david#119 22:25  |  just me 22/12/05
  37.   APARTHEID ISRAEL: DIVEST NOW!!!! 22:33  |  Mazen 22/12/05
  38.   David James Vickery : tell us that story again..how young muscular palestinians.... 22:37  |  KJJ 22/12/05
  39.   RE:Ethan 22:39  |  Mazen 22/12/05
  40.   What a beautiful day it is! 22:47  |  Goldstein 22/12/05
  41.   Jewish state & democracy 23:05  |  Jay 22/12/05
  42.   Welcome to Apartheid Israel 23:47  |  Jeff Gillman 22/12/05
  43.   To Kalle Anka 23:52  |  Arne(!) And 22/12/05
  44.   Fence is Self Defense which is LEGAL 00:02  |  Rick 23/12/05
  45.   #28 Steve 00:10  |  Ben-Yehudah 23/12/05
  46.   Dodge Minivans vs. Caravans 00:10  |  Peter Alexander Tulin 23/12/05
  47.   Israel trying to play the Security card again... 00:20  |  Pablo B 23/12/05
  48.   IDF completes evacuation of Bil`in `outpost` 00:22  |  T Dawas 23/12/05
  49.   Dodge Minivans vs. Arabushim Caravans 00:23  |  Peter Alexander Tulin 23/12/05
  50.   Tear down Yeshistan! 00:32  |  Pablo B 23/12/05
  51.   Racists calling Israel names 00:36  |  Rick 23/12/05
  52.   British Mandate - Balfour / Gilead 00:54  |  Rick 23/12/05
  53.   Christians for Israel 01:37  |  Rick 23/12/05
  54.   Yesha is the Kingdom of Judah 01:40  |  Rick 23/12/05
  55.   true face revealed 01:58  |  Jan Elshout 23/12/05
  56.   Jan`s contradiction using the term racist 02:46  |  Rick 23/12/05
  57.   So Ha`aretz... 04:42  |  Yoram 23/12/05
  58.   (USA) Christians for Israel-- Rick 07:32  |  Arthur 23/12/05
  59.   Uncivil 07:59  |  Sarah 23/12/05
  60.   Tulin: Do you what does chanukah mean? 09:00  |  Concerned American (Gocia Guzowska) 23/12/05
  61.   Rick: Fake christianity 09:12  |  Concerned American (Gocia Guzowska) 23/12/05
  62.   #53 Rick "christians for Israel" 09:12  |  Jim Anderson 23/12/05
  63.   KJJ #38, You just want to hear about young men 15:25  |  Realistic 23/12/05
  64.   David S Landman of Natick, Mass: Dream on 15:33  |  Realistic 23/12/05
  65.   Peter Tulin 15:37  |  Realistic 23/12/05
  66.   to Rick 53 and Yoram 18:27  |  Peter 23/12/05
  67.   Swedes, Not at War for 200 years 19:54  |  Jim Anderson 23/12/05
  68.   Palestinian Outpost 23:06  |  Mike McCurdy 23/12/05
  69.   To:Rick 00:28  |  Stephen W 24/12/05
  70.   TO - Ben-Yehudah 05:05  |  Steve Beikirch 24/12/05
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