Thousands of Israelis, including extremist ministers, march to illegal West Bank outpost

Thousands of Israeli settlers marched to the illegal West Bank outpost of Evyatar on Monday under the protection of Israeli forces. 

The trek was attended by several extreme-right ministers including Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has overseen a sharp escalation in anti-Palestinian violence as national security minister, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who recently called for the total erasure of a Palestinian village. 

Thirteen border police companies provided security for the event, restricting the movement of Palestinians from the Nablus area to the Jordan valley, reported Israeli news website Haaretz. 

#PHOTOS: Thousands of settlers today stormed Jabal Sabih area south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus in an attempt to reach the evacuated Eviatar settlement. pic.twitter.com/haDHekJ3jy

— Wafa News Agency - English (@WAFANewsEnglish) April 10, 2023

"The occupation forces were heavily deployed on the road between Ramallah and Nablus today," said Ghassan Daghlas, a local official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, to Palestinian news agency Wafa. 

"Checkpoints at Za’tara and Hawara obstructed the movement and forced vehicles to take longer alternate routes to reach their destination," he said.

Evyatar, an outpost constructed in violation both of international law and Israeli regulations, was evicted two years ago. It lies in the lands of Palestinian villages Yatma and Beita. 

This is the first time Israeli forces have allowed settlers to enter the area and hold a large-scale event. 

Some 140 buses also headed to the illegal settlement.

Videos shared online showed journalists covering the march being targeted with tear gas by Israeli forces, reported Al-Jarmaq News.

"We are not surrendering to terror, not in Evyatar, not in Tel Aviv. Whoever surrenders to terror will surrender everywhere, but we are here to say - the people of Israel are strong," said Ben-Gvir while participating in the march. 

Palestinians have been demonstrating against the construction of the outpost ever since it was built.

Since the 1967 occupation, it is estimated that over 70 villagers from Beita have been killed by Israeli forces. 

On the same day as the march, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child in the Aqabet Jaber refugee camp in Jericho. 

Mohammad Fayez Balhan, who was 15 years old, was shot in the head, chest and stomach.