The Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and police were preparing to evacuate an unauthorized outpost on Friday after it was established by settlers from the Nahala movement in Simhoni Forest, near the Gaza border, Ynet reported.
Police officers and KKL-JNF representatives surveyed the area on Tuesday to coordinate the evacuation, which was expected to take place next week.
Police were reportedly hoping to reach an agreement with the settlers for them to leave voluntarily, but were preparing to use force if they refused, according to Ynet.
The outpost was established in mid-October on land managed by KKL-JNF, between Kibbutz Kfar Aza and Nahal Oz.
Settlers arrived at night, set up trailers, and declared the establishment of a new community as part of their effort to promote Jewish settlement in Gaza.
Settlers say they won't stop 'until we reach Gaza'
The settlers described the site as a temporary stop on the way to establishing a Jewish settlement inside Gaza.
They told Ynet they did not intend to resist the evacuation, but planned to relocate elsewhere near the Gaza border and continue their efforts. “We'll simply move somewhere else, until we reach Gaza,” they said.
KKL-JNF was responsible for managing the forest and, consequently, for removing the structures.
Once the district police commander approved the operation, police and KKL-JNF would coordinate an evacuation date. The removal was required to take place within 30 days of the initial trespass, according to the KKL-JNF.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF had blocked roads near Kfar Aza and Nahal Oz after Nahala settlers arrived overnight at Simhoni Forest in October.
Police dispersed the group, and the IDF declared the area between the border fence and the Israeli communities a closed military zone to prevent settlers from returning.
Nahala claimed at the time that more than 700 people had participated in establishing an outpost called “Pioneers of Gaza.” Military sources told the Post that about 50 people were actually present at the site.
The movement's demands went beyond relocating the settlement site into the Gaza Strip. In a statement, it called on the next Israeli government to include the establishment of Israeli communities in Gaza, the repeal of the Disengagement Law, and the encouragement of emigration of Palestinians from Gaza in its coalition guidelines.
The Nahala movement and its founder, Daniella Weiss, were labeled by the European Union as an extremist Israeli settler movement "responsible for serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank."
As a result of the designation, the EU froze the organization's assets, “including a prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to them, either directly or indirectly.”
Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · ASHER SMITH
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