Evyatar
אביתר | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photograph of Evyatar in June 2021 | |
| Coordinates: 32°07′10.9″N 35°16′30.4″E / 32.119694°N 35.275111°E |
Evyatar (Hebrew: אביתר, romanized: Evyatar or Eviatar) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank located in a Palestinian rural area on Mount Sabih, in lands of the Palestinian town of Beita, south of Nablus.[1][2] The settlement was first built in May 2013, and was named after Israeli settler Evyatar Borovsky who was murdered in a Palestinian attack at Tapuach (or Zaatra) Junction on 30 April 2013.[3]
Evyatar was founded by the Nachala Movement, which promotes similar settlements across the West Bank.[4] The outpost has been destroyed several times by Israeli officials soon after its establishment in 2013, and again in 2016 and 2018.[5][6] The current incarnation, established in May 2021, includes "about 50 permanent structures, a playground, a synagogue, a religious study hall, a grocery store, a power grid and fully-paved roads," according to a B'Tselem description.[6] The settlement was evacuated but not destroyed in June 2021.[7] It was the site of major settler protests in February and April 2023,[8][9] and fully reoccupied in June 2023. It has been described as "the most famous outpost established in recent years."[7]
The building of the outpost, and the subsequent legal process intended to make it permanent, sparked regular Palestinian protests; as of May 2022, 8 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers during the protests.[7]
According to Nathaniel Berman, Evyatar is "emblematic of the process whereby settlers are able to seize land with the express purpose of disrupting Palestinian life and are able to secure state ratification of their actions. This is a regime which lends fodder to some of the worst charges laid against Israel in recent years, including apartheid."[10] According to Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, "The government has committed to the Avitar plan. The correct Zionist answer to the terrible attacks is construction, construction, construction. The eyes of the people of Israel are on settlement."[11]
Israeli outposts in the West Bank, like Evyatar, are considered illegal both under international law as well as under Israeli law.[12] On 27 June 2024, the Israeli cabinet authorized the settlement and four others.[13] In July 2024, the Israeli government declared some but not all of the land beneath Evyatar as state land, in a move to legalize the settlement under Israeli law.
- ^ "In just a month, illegal settler outpost sprouts up on Palestinian lands". Haaretz.
- ^ Bank, Qassam Muaddi ــ West (November 10, 2021). "In Palestine's Beita, the civil resistance movement vows to keep fighting".
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Sharon, Jeremy (2023-06-27). "Illegal Evyatar outpost resettled with tacit government approval". Times of Israel. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b B'Tselem (2023-02-14). "Nine months of protesting a new outpost : seven killed and dozens injured in the town of Beita". B'Tselem. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ a b c Shezaf, Hagar (2022-05-14). "How a settlement outpost is born - Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- ^ Sharon, Jeremy; Times of Israel Staff (2023-02-27). "Security forces begin emptying Evyatar outpost, reoccupied by settlers after attack". Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ Sharon, Jeremy (2023-04-10). "Thousands, including ministers, march to illegal West Bank outpost under heavy guard". Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ Berman, Nathaniel (2021-07-09). "Opinion". The Forward. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- ^ "השר לביטחון לאומי במסר לתושבי השומרון: "רוצו אל הגבעות"". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
- ^ "The Geneva Convention". BBC News. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
- ^ "European Union condemns Israeli authorization of five new settlements". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-06-29. Retrieved 2024-09-10.