Israeli online daily Haaretz reported that soldiers razed nine houses illegally constructed at the Amouna illegal settlement outpost near the West Bank city of Qalqilia. Hundreds of settlers flocked to the area and clashed with the soldiers.
The Israeli army reported that hundreds of violent right-wing settlers hurled stones and engaged in what was described as "fierce clashes" with the soldiers and security personnel.. Settlers youths stationed on the rooftops of the homes slated for demolition stockpiled stones, glass bottles, buckets of cooking oil and paint which they used against the soldiers during the evacuation.
Major General Yair Naveh, Israeli Army GOC Central Command, said that 65 soldiers were wounded, adding that 70 settlers sustained injuries .However, settlers reported that 220 settlers were injured, including nine moderately.. A Hadassah hospital spokesperson said that 65 people were transferred to two hospitals in Jerusalem: one person sustained serious injuries.
Far-right members of Knesset i Eitam (Religious Zionism Party), Aryeh Eldad and Rabbi Binyamin Elon (both of National Union), were among the first to be injured during the violent clashes. Eitam was lightly wounded and hospitalized in the trauma wing of Hadassah Ein Karem University Medical Center, in Jerusalem. Eldad apparently sustained an arm fracture, while Elon was lightly wounded when forced off of a bulldozer
Israeli Army Radio reported that 3000 protesters were present around the outpost, facing 2,000 soldiers and 3,100 policemen, including mounted officers, riot police, and five water cannon trucks. Thousands of soldiers and police officers were deployed around the hilltop and minor clashes were reported.
By afternoon, soldiers evacuated the nine illegal buildings after weakening settler resistance. An Israeli police source reported that the number of policemen deployed during the evacuation of the illegal outpost "was even higher than the force deployed while carrying out the Gaza disengagement".
According to Haaretz, during the evacuation of the last house, one the settlers holed up inside drew a gun, but police controlled him fast and arrested him. It added that four indictments were filed, by early evening, against several settlers who were detained at the illegal outpost. Nineteen settlers remained in detention at the time of this report.
Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Supreme Court Justice, Elyakim Rubinstein, issued a temporary injunction delaying the planned evacuation of the illegal outpost. According to Haaretz, Rubinstein cast a dissenting "no" vote in the 2-1 High Court decision to give the go-ahead to evacuation forces. The demolitions orders were given after the Israeli High Court rejected on Sunday a petition by Amouna settlers.
Army officials tried to strike a last minute deal with the settlers, but the settlers rejected it. According to the proposed deal, the settlers would destroy the buildings and in exchange, the Israeli Defense Ministry assured them that they will be allowed to construct permanent structures in another area of Amouna. They rejected the offer, and blocked the main bypass road near Ramallah after dark Wednesday in an attempt to block the police and army convoys.
On Wednesday night, settlers attacked and beat a Palestinian man, and damaged several Palestinian vehicles near Za’atara , a Palestinian village. Right-wing settlers entered the village of Ein Yabroud near Nablus, and hurled stones at Palestinian vehicles. Damage was reported. The settlers also attacked and broke windows of vehicles transporting TV crews which came to cover the impending evacuation.
