Exactly one year has passed since a hearing in the Jerusalem District Court on a petition filed by the Regavim NGO and the Gush Etzion Regional Council against an illegal event venue in eastern Gush Etzion.
On Tuesday, the enforcement unit of the Civil Administration demolished the site completely.
“The wheels of justice turn slowly, but at least this time, they didn’t wait for a horrific murder to take the action necessary to protect our security. The demolition of such a flashy and extravagant complex is highly significant in terms of deterrence and in curbing the rampant illegal construction in Israeli territory,” said Regavim’s Judea and Samaria Field Coordinator Roi Drucker.
Field coordinators from Regavim and the Gush Etzion Regional Council had identified development work as early as 2021, adjacent to Route 398 — which connects eastern Gush Etzion communities to Jerusalem — and warned that the work was being carried out illegally on Israeli state land within the boundaries of a military construction ban due to the site’s proximity to the main road.
After their warnings went unheeded, and as the site developed into a luxurious Palestinian Authority event garden including a pool, fountain, lawns and a restaurant, Regavim filed a petition with the court in 2022 demanding an end to the festival of illegality.
At the hearing, held exactly one year ago in May 2024, Judge Einat Avman-Muller accepted the state’s commitment to demolish the compound in its own time, “in accordance with professional considerations”.
Up to this week, the venue continued to operate, hosting parties and events and maintaining active social media profiles with tens of thousands of followers.
On Tuesday morning, however, that ended: The site was demolished by the Civil Administration’s enforcement unit, accompanied by IDF forces. According to footage on Arab social media, the enforcement took place without resistance, and the venue was leveled.
“The illegal construction near the road from eastern Gush Etzion to Jerusalem is of great concern to us, and the massive event venue demolished today is part of our ongoing efforts to secure the area,” Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal said, adding, “We are well aware that we still have a long way to go until illegal construction is removed from the roads of Gush Etzion.”
