Settler rabbis urge IDF soldiers to refuse evacuation orders

Settler rabbis on Wednesday said it is inconceivable that Israel Defense Forces soldiers or Israel Police would participate in the "immoral" razing of settlement outposts.

The group of rabbis included Hebron-Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Beit El Chief Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Yitzhar Rabbi David Dudkevitch, Rabbi Haim Steiner of Yeshivat Mercaz Harav and Rabbi Ya'acov Yosef, the son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Givat Asaf was established in May 2001 after Ofra resident Asaf Hershkovitz was murdered bin a terror attack. Givat Asaf, home to several dozen families, is one of the largest outposts slated for evacuation.

After the meeting, the group said that the decision to destroy outposts in the West Bank does not stem from any judicial ruling, but rather from a political decision to bow to American pressure.

The rabbis also accused the Arab population across the West Bank, the Galilee and the Negev of illegal construction and said that no one is tackling that problem.

"Many of the outposts, on the other hand, have been approved by various military and political ranks and are just waiting for final approval from the Defense Minister," the rabbis said, claiming that political calculations have prevented the final green light.

Border Police officers earlier on Wednesday were forced to dismantle for the second time in less than 24 hours an illegal West Bank outpost.

Settler youth had tried in the afternoon to rebuild structures in the Givat 18 outpost near Kiryat Arba, one of two settlement outposts razed overnight.

After the troops left, a quarrel broke out between the youth and Palestinian and left-wing Israeli activists. There were no casualties reported.