Israel forces destroy illegal West Bank outpost Ramat Migron

The Israeli occupation forces destroyed the illegal settlement of Ramat Migron early on Thursday morning, which is built on land belonging to the Makhmas village in the occupied West Bank.

According to The Jerusalem Post, dozens of Israeli soldiers and Civil Administration inspectors arrived at the outpost at dawn to dismantle the homes of three settler families living on the hilltop, including their makeshift synagogue.

“We were woken up at 4 am by wild knocking at the door,” shared Noa Yered, one of the settlers of Ramat Migron. “Before we could even find out who it was, dozens of police officers broke into the house, entered the bedroom, and informed us that we had to leave immediately. They didn’t even let us get dressed and organise privately.”

“It is sad and infuriating to see how the State of Israel is fighting Jewish pioneers who want to settle the land and fight against the Arab takeover.”

Made up primarily of groups of Israeli youth, the Ramat Migron outpost covers a huge stretch of land, around 2,000 dunams, most of which is private Palestinian property.

In response, extremist Israeli Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir slammed the Israeli government for “selective enforcement”.

“The extreme left-wing government of Gantz, Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked continues to act in a racist and discriminatory way toward Jewish settlements,” Ben Gvir criticised in a statement.

He added that the evacuation: “Proves how much the government is disconnected and destructive to the state from within.”

Israeli human rights movement Peace Now estimates that about 666,000 settlers live in 145 large settlements and 140 outposts in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

International law considers the West Bank and Jerusalem “occupied territories”, and all settlement activities there are illegal. Israel, however, distinguishes between outposts and settlements, claiming the latter as legal forms of colonisation.

READ: 50 Palestinians thrown out of Israeli bus after 3 Jewish settlers refused to travel with non-Jews