
An IDF tractor has formed a dirt levee blocking the parking lot at the entrance to the community of Homesh in northern Samaria.
The director of the Homesh Yeshiva, Shmuel Wendi, claims that the blocking of the parking lot was a direct order from Defense Minister Benny Gantz who is in the last days of his term: "Gantz doesn't rest and obsessively takes advantage of every minute that he has left on the job to continue to abuse the Homesh Yeshiva. We hope that the State of Israel will get back on track soon, and that the new government will nullify the disgraceful Disengagement Law and allow normal life to resume in northern Samaria."
An IDF spokesperson responded to the incident, saying: "The security forces' policy concerning the evacuated village of Homesh has not changed. The IDF operates and will continue to operate according to instructions from the political echelon. The tractor performed engineering work to close off the area, in order to protect those who remain there and prevent the entry of unauthorized vehicles."
Military sources noted also that, "The Disengagement Law prohibits Israelis from entering or remaining in the area of the evacuated village of Homesh, excluding the members of the yeshiva who have received special clearance from the Defense Minister."
Last month, Rabbi Elishama Cohen, the dean of the Homesh Yeshiva, was indicted for violating the provisions of the Disengagement Law, which bars Jews from entering and living in any of the four northern Samaria communities which were evacuated in the 2005 Disengagement.
According to the indictment, Rabbi Cohen visited the Homesh Yeshiva without the proper authorization on November 15.
The prosecution has stated that it will seek prison time if Rabbi Cohen is convicted.