In years past, Israel’s defense ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) was mostly in charge of going after “illegal outposts,” as part of a 50+ year effort to curb Jewish community developments and encourage Arab expansion in Judea and Samaria.
This week a luxury resort complex built illegally by PA Arabs east of Duma village in Binyamin was demolished, including its three dining areas and swimming pools. The illegal resort is in Area C, which is under full Israeli control, both civilian and military, and so requires a construction permit. It didn’t have one.
“Any enforcement like this creates deterrence and curbs the rampant construction,” says Moshe Shmueli, Judea and Samaria coordinator for Regavim. “The Civil Administration was forced to do what it refused to do for years, and we welcome it.