Security forces demolish homes at Hill of Beit Anot near Kiryat Arba

Hundreds of Border Police and Yasam officers, together with inspectors from the Civil Administration, raided the Hill of Beit Anot in the Hebron Hills near Kiryat Arba overnight Thursday and demolished the homes of three families, as well as the settlement outpost’s synagogue. The operation began around 2:30 a.m., with forces approaching from several directions, surrounding the houses and telling the residents they had only minutes to leave.

According to the report, children were taken from their beds wrapped in blankets, and Arab workers brought by the Civil Administration were instructed to throw furniture and clothing outside. During the demolition, the forces also confiscated the vehicles of two residents and another trailer. Three residents were arrested.

One resident, Yaron Klav, said he and his wife and eight children were evacuated from their home. He said, “We woke up to a crazy and surreal event,” adding that the officers surrounded the house “as if we were the heads of a criminal organization.” He said the family was given 10 minutes to remove the children, after which “Arab workers simply started throwing out all the furniture and personal belongings.”

Klav said the children were left shocked. He also claimed that before Jews moved to the site, the ridge had been under large-scale illegal Arab takeover, including water theft and hunting by nearby villagers, and accused the security establishment of ignoring the situation for years. He said the homes would be rebuilt, the hill would be restored, and a permanent Jewish settlement would eventually be established there.