A group of settlers erects a religious school in the Homesh settlement, evacuated in 2005

May 29. (EUROPE PRESS) –

A group of settlers has moved during the early hours of this Monday a religious school installed on private Palestinian land to the Homesh settlement, in a step towards the restoration of the place, evacuated by the Israeli forces in 2005 within the framework of the Withdrawal Law , which included the withdrawal of Israeli civilians and soldiers from the Gaza Strip.

The transfer of the ‘yeshiva’ has taken place with the approval of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, despite the opposition of the West Bank Prosecutor’s Office, which maintains that the measure it is illegal, according to the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’.

Thus, the Army had given the order to allow the settlers to enter Homesh and has deployed the military in the area to guarantee the security of the operation, although it has chosen not to participate in the construction tasks until there is a clear judicial ruling. about the legality of the measure.

The president of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, stressed during the day that this transfer is a step towards the “total rectification” of Israel’s decision to evacuate four settlements in the northern West Bank, adopted in 2005 in line with the aforementioned law.

The Israeli Parliament approved a controversial project in March to amend the law and allow construction in these settlements –Homesh, Ganim, Kadim and Sa Nur–, while the Israeli Energy Minister, Yisrael Katz, stressed on Wednesday that ” Jewish presence (in Homesh), where possible and on state land, is an important and legitimate measure.”

The Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, has spoken of a “historic moment” and has stated that this official approval represents a change in the government’s position for “the construction and development of the entire State of Israel.”

On the contrary, the spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil abu Rudeina, has stressed that all the settlements, including Homesh, “are illegal”, while stating that “the continuation of the aggression will not achieve security or peace for anyone “, as reported by the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Thus, it has stressed that “all the resolutions” of the United Nations “make it clear that the settlements in Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, violate international law.” “The statements of condemnation and denunciation are no longer enough to face the actions of the government of members of the extreme right,” she has settled.

For its part, the Yesh Din organization, which provides legal representation to Palestinian owners, has emphasized that the transfer of the ‘yeshiva’ is “adding sin to a crime.” “This new location continues to prevent Palestinians from reaching their land and continues their dispossession,” he said, before stressing that “instead of immediately evacuating the settlement, Israel rewards criminals.”

The Israeli government announced in early January a change in its position on Homesh and outlined that it will no longer request the expulsion of the settlers residing in this settlement, a decision that it transferred to the Supreme Court.

Homesh was built on private Palestinian land and was initially evacuated along with three other settlements when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 after passing a law preventing Israelis from entering the site without special permission, which has not prevented settlers from settling in the area.

All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, although the Israeli authorities differentiate between those that have been granted permission and those that have not. In fact, the Israeli government in February approved the legalization of nine settlements and has advanced plans to build more than 7,000 new housing units.