On His Last Day, Attorney-General Approves Deal To Authorize New Samarian Settlement In Evyatar

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Reports in the Israeli media Wednesday reveal that on his last day in office, outgoing attorney general Avichai Mandelblit okayed a deal between the government and settlers that would retroactively authorize the Evyatar outpost, which was abandoned by the settlers in July after the government promised to authorize it if it became clear it was state land.

Mandelblit’s approval enables the government to allow the reestablishment of the yeshiva on the site and, after the land has been assessed, to enable the community to be reestablished. The deal still requires the approval of Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Left-wing and Arab elements in the coalition sharply criticized the plan, claiming it would harm the coalition and might even cause the toppling of the ideologically polarized government.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid slammed the decision, claiming that he was not updated about the new authorization and said that it could negatively affect US-Israel relations.

The Labor party called the decision “destructive”, stating that “Our government must deal with steeply rising prices and urgent economic aid to citizens. Instead, a small number of government members are choosing to advance illegal outposts that hurt Israel and Israeli security.”

The Meretz party also condemned the decision. Meretz MK Mossi Raz said that he will not be able to swallow such a move, and “it is one step too far.” Raz said that “if I can topple Evyatar, I will do it, even if it means toppling the government.”

Raz saw the decision as a surrender to settler violence, stating that “It is unfortunate that there are some in the government who, instead of fighting against violence, work on behalf of those who are violent.”

Meretz party MK Michal Rozin said the approval was “a victory for the violence of the outlaws in the outposts,” noting in a tweet that the move went against the coalition’s decision to avoid divisive issues to ensure its stability.

However, the Yesha Council welcomed the approval, saying, “We are sure that the defense minister will fulfill his promise and hope that the plan will begin already in the coming days.” Yossi Dagan of the Samaria Regional Council said that decision was “only fair” and added that new settlement is the best answer to Palestinian terror attacks.

Under the July agreement, the settlers left the outpost peacefully and the area became a closed military zone, with the houses and roads remaining in place and a detachment of soldiers moving in.

As part of the deal, a survey was carried out that reportedly determined that part of the land was not owned by Palestinians, paving the way for the establishment of a yeshiva and for some settler families to return. The matter still requires a formal declaration of the land as state land as well as allowing a period to pass so that objections can be filed.

The new community is named Evyatar after Evyatar Borovsky, who was murdered in a stabbing attack at the nearby Tapuah Junction by a Palestinian terrorist in 2013. However the site was not officially occupied by a large number of settlers until the murder of Yehuda Gueta at the same spot in May 2021.

Palestinians from the nearby Beita village claim the community is built on their land and held violent protests there during the summer, clashing with Israeli troops at the scene. The protests continued even after the community was evacuated and in December the PA claimed that a man was shot dead by the IDF during a protest against the new community.