Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has ordered the destruction of the park that was built in memory of the three kedoshim HY”D, who were abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists last summer; Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach.

MK (Likud) David Amsellem wrote on his Facebook page “The head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council told me today that the Defense Ministry instructed the council to evacuate the site and all its contents based on the contention the presence is actually an effort to establish a new outpost called Ohz V’Gaon”.

Amsellem adds that he cannot understand how this decision comes from a Likud minister, detailing how the memorial park was previously a garbage dump for the nearby PA (Palestinian Authority) village of Beit Fajar. He attributes the improvement to the area to the ongoing efforts of those involved with the project and questions why the defense minister sees fit to act as he is.

Gush Etzion Council spokesman Yehuda Shapira told Kol Yehudi News “A demolition order is automatically issues for any new structure that is put up illegally and we hope and believe we will prevent the destruction in this memorial park… In this case we are dealing with a park from the British period that was destroyed by the Arabs over the years… They made the place disgusting, littered and destroyed the area and it has since been rehabilitated and there are events held at the venue regularly. In the past year some 20,000 people visited the site”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)