Last weekend, hours before Shabbat, Israeli security forces from the Menashe Brigade carried out an enforcement operation at Sha’agat Yehuda farm in northern Samaria. During the operation, conducted under the command of Menashe Brigade Commander Col. Matan Feldman—formerly chief of staff to ex-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi—structures were demolished and extensive equipment was confiscated. According to residents, forces remained on site until just before Shabbat to prevent reconstruction.
The operation at Sha’agat Yehuda joins a chain of enforcement actions carried out over the past month at the site, which the security establishment defines as an “illegal outpost.” But data obtained by C14 raises serious questions about the overall enforcement policy in the brigade’s area—especially toward Jews.
The newly revealed data shows that within a radius of just two kilometers from the farm, hundreds of Arab structures were built without permits. According to the data, more than 100 of these structures are under pending demolition orders that, according to sources in the area, are not enforced with the same determination and speed applied to Jewish construction.
Some of the Arab construction even sits on the remains of a former Israeli military base that served until the early 2000s as the advanced training base of the Paratroopers Brigade. After the base was relocated, the ‘Palestinian Authority’ worked to promote construction on its ruins to prevent the IDF from returning to the site in the future. Despite the clear nationalist motive, the IDF has refrained from enforcing against the encroachment—even as large forces pass through the area at least three times a week to carry out demolitions at the nearby farm.
Sha’agat Yehuda farm was established in memory of Yehuda Sherman Z”L, between Mount Gadir and Mount Bezek a few kilometers from the Nahal outpost evacuated under the Oslo Accords—Nahal Irit. The farm was established to establish Jewish presence deep into northern Samaria and create a connection between the Jordan Valley and the communities of Homesh and Sa-Nur.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office did not provide a response to the article.