The legal-public struggle to evacuate the residents of the Bedouin locality of Umm al-Hiran started long before the decision to evacuate the illegal Amona outpost. However, the distressing results of the Amona evacuation cast its shadow over Umm al-Hiran as well. Despite all the appeals against the evacuation of Umm al-Hiran, the High Court of Justice passed a resolution in December that mandated evacuation by force. Nevertheless, the way that police and border guard forces raided the settlement this week in order to carry out the mission caused agitation throughout the entire Arab sector.
In the course of the Amona crisis and the attempts of the Israeli government to arrange an alternate outpost for the Amona residents, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned to Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and instructed him on Dec. 17 to immediately enforce laws against illegal construction in the Arab sector.
