Dozens of Settlers March Toward Evacuated West Bank Outpost

Dozens of settlers attempted to enter the evacuated outpost of Homesh on Friday, with the Israeli military deploying forces across the northern West Bank to prevent settlers from arriving at the site.

Border Police officers confiscated equipment from the settlers who managed to reach the Homesh yeshiva that since 2009 has been intermittently built by settlers and demolished by Israel. In 2005, Homesh was evacuated as part of a larger Israeli disengagement from Gaza and the northern West Bank.

Last year Palestinian gunmen opened fire on students from the yeshiva, killing 25-year-old Israeli Yehuda Dimentman and wounding two others.

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Left-wing organizations announced their plan to hold a demonstration at Homesh on Saturday, and demolish structures erected at the site with a bulldozer.

According to the Peace Now NGO, activists have been received threats since they announced their intention to demonstrate at Homesh, and have called on Defense Minister Benny Gantz to secure the protest.

Central Command chief Yehuda Fuchs said that the protest is illegal since Israelis are not allowed to enter an evacuated outpost without military approval.

However, in recent months, the Israeli army has secured several right-wing protests that have taken place at the site, some of them including thousands of participants. The army has also enabled settlers to access Homesh via buses.

Also on Friday, Palestinians said that 10 people had been wounded in clashes with Israeli army forces in the nearby village of Burqa.

Furthermore, Palestinians staged a demonstration at the West Bank village of Hawara after settlers took down last week Palestinian flags that were hung there. The Israeli army used tear gas to disperse the protesters who hurled stones at settlers' vehicles, and according to a security source, Israelis were filmed smashing windows of a Palestinian business.