This morning Joseph Dana (aka Ibn Ezra) sent us the following email:
This morning the army dismantled parts of hilltop 26 (18), the place that we wrote the article about. Check out the news here (editor note: you can read Ibn Ezra’s coverage here).
It looks like they are going to build it up again this afternoon and Ta’ayush is fearful that there is going to be settler violence in response. I am told this is normally the pattern.
We have been following Dana’s updates on Hilltop 26 and Max Blumenthal recently visited the area in one of his videos. Dana’s fear about violence is rooted in reality. Besides the trend of settlers attacking local Palestinians when they are challenged by the Israeli government, the settlers themselves are openly talking about fighting all who oppose them, which includes the government and even the largest settler organization, the Yesha council! Dana translated the following on his blog from the Kiryat Arba Setter forum which ends with an ambiguous but ominous threat:
Today at six in the evening we will all convene to continue rebuilding the structures that were destroyed yesterday by the bullies on behalf of the government of Israel.
Expansion in response to destruction!
We will not let Bibi and Barak implement a defeatist policy. Israel belongs solely to the nation of Israel!
The Yesha council has signed the outpost agreement with the government and is thus consciously assisting the destruction of entire settlements in Israel. The destruction of outposts and their surrender is the first step in the bigger scheme… we will not be silent any longer! We will not silently abided by false declarations, promises and temptations. We learned the lesson in Gush Katif! Bribes blind the eyes of the righteous. We will stop the cleansing at the source.
