June 13, 2012
Activists attack contractors at Ulpana site
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A general view shows the neighborhood of Ulpana, on the edge of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Beit El, north of Ramallah on Apr. 22. Photo by REUTERS/Nir Elias
Activists threw rocks at contractors inspecting the Ulpana neighborhood in preparation for the evacuation of five apartment buildings there.
The inspection came as caravillas, or portable homes, were being delivered Wednesday to a military base adjacent to the community where the evacuees will be housed until their apartments are relocated. The caravillas reportedly were disguised to avoid being damaged by activists who support the neighborhood on the outskirts of the Beit El settlement.
Hours before the attack on the contractors, the rabbi of Beit El, Rabbi Zalman Melamed, called for a “decisive struggle” against the evacuation of the five apartment buildings housing 30 families. In a public letter issued Wednesday, Melamud called for “dedication and sacrifice,” and said the struggle should consist of dialogue as well as protest.
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled in September that the neighborhood should be razed, siding with a lawsuit filed by Palestinians who said they owned the land. A deadline of July 1 is set for the evacuation.
