The Kiryat Arba municipality made an official decision to rebuild the farm destroyed overnight by security forces, and hundreds have answered the call.

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A hastily-convened meeting of political leaders in Kiryat Arba Sunday morning - including outgoing Mayor Tzvi Katzover, several candidates vying to succeed him in the elections two weeks from now, and others - passed several resolutions in light of the events of last night. It was decided not to allow the destroyed site to remain desolate of Jews, to rebuild it with city equipment, and to call upon Jews from all over to join the rebuilding efforts.

Noam Federman (left) in court Sunday
Flash 90

Volunteers secure the roof on the home
Israel News Photo: Nadia Matar

Yehudit Katzover, one of the hundreds who arrived at the site this afternoon to help in the rebuilding, told IsraelNationalNews, "The destruction here is unbelievable - it looks just like Gush Katif... Our first job is just to remove all the debris and ruins. At least 200 people are here now, working to clear away what is left of the houses, and also to build some temporary structures in which to sleep for the coming nights."

Many volunteers joined in the effort to rebuild the Federman home
Israel News Photo: Nadia Matar

A power line is reconnected to restore the electric supply to the home
Israel News Photo: Nadia Matar

'We Refuse to Allow Gov't to Pave the Way for Palestinian State'
"We refuse to remain silent in light of the pattern that is becoming clear here," she added. "They wish to destroy and choke us off so that they can hand over the area for a Palestinian state. Yesterday, they brought in 550 so-called [Palestinian Authority] policemen into Hevron for 'security,' and at night they destroy Jewish homes. We will not allow this to happen."

Bedouin and Druze
Shmuel Ramati - brother of Elisheva Federman, whose house was destroyed - said from the site, "People have been coming and going all afternoon, and we plan to stay here at night as well; we have lighting, and we will remain for as long as it takes... There are holy books all over the floor, broken furniture, clothing strewn all over - it is just unbelievable. I was here last night and I saw the forces - many of them Bedouins and Druze - enjoying turning everything into ruins."

"But we will show the government that we will rebuild," Ramati said. "Let's not forget that all this is happening while the government cannot even get itself to destroy the home of the bulldozer terrorist murderer in Jerusalem! ... We also call upon the other Jewish towns nearby to participate in these efforts and show clearly that we will not allow Jewish homes to be torn down."

Shortly after he said that, a large group of people from the eastern Gush Etzion town of Maaleh Rehavam arrived on the scene to take part in the rebuilding effort.

Two Homes Destroyed
Yehudit Katzover said that the two homes of the farm were both destroyed: "First the forces arrived at the wooden home of the Tor family, sometime after one o'clock in the morning, knocked loudly on the door and told them they have five minutes to pack up and leave. Then they came to the Federman home, decided to skip the five-minutes thing, and started breaking windows and throwing them out with no warning at all."

The grassroots Women in Green organization publicized the call for people to come and help rebuild: "A corrupt criminal government on Shabbat morning brought 550 PLO terrorists into Hevron, and in the evening rewarded those terrorists by destroying the houses of two Jewish families. The Kiryat Arba people call upon all to come today at noon to rebuild the destroyed houses. As the Kiryat Arba/Hevron people say in their press release, 'The spirit of loyalty to the Land of Israel will be victorious, with G-d's help.'"

Meanwhile, Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan has ordered the opening of a criminal investigation against the two people who called for vengeance against IDF soldiers. He is thus following the instructions of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said this morning that those who made such remarks should be put in jail. Olmert did not relate to the fate of the newly-homeless families.