On Thursday, Israeli Civil Administration forces demolished several illegal structures in a nature reserve in eastern Gush Etzion, marking the first significant enforcement operation in Area B of Judea and Samaria since the Oslo Accords were signed in the 1990s.
The action comes as a result of a Cabinet decision prompted by recent exposés of unauthorized Palestinian construction in the Judean Desert.
The operation targeted seven illegally constructed buildings within the designated nature reserve, an area that has been a point of contention between Israeli and Palestinian authorities. According to officials from the Civil Administration, the demolitions were carried out in response to repeated violations of the Oslo Accords by Palestinian builders.
In May 2023, an exposé revealed plans to build a Palestinian city in the Judean Desert under the radar, sparking outrage and prompting visits from high-ranking Israeli officials, including then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The revelations led to a Cabinet decision in June, effectively reversing a key provision of the 1998 Wye River Memorandum. The Cabinet decision transferred responsibility for the designated nature reserve back to Israel, overturning the previous arrangement that had assigned the area to Palestinian Authority control while prohibiting construction.
Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich hailed the operation as “a significant step in the strategic battle for open lands.” He emphasized the government’s commitment to preventing the Palestinian Authority from violating agreements and establishing a “terrorist state” that could threaten Israeli security.
Local Israeli leaders welcomed the enforcement action. Yaron Rosenthal, head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, expressed support for the security forces, saying that the reserve had been “systematically destroyed by illegal construction” in recent years.
The Regavim movement, which has been at the forefront of documenting and opposing Palestinian construction in the area, praised the operation as a “first step in the right direction.” However, it called for more comprehensive enforcement against thousands of illegal structures and hundreds of roads allegedly built by the Palestinian Authority in the nature reserve.