Border Police forces forcibly removed several dozen Jewish settlers from two houses in Hebron Friday morning, a day after the settlers entered the buildings, claiming they had bought them from Palestinians, the Times of Israel reports.
Security officials said the decision to remove them was made by the Defense Ministry.
Security forces were gathered in large numbers in the area, out of apparent concern that the removal would encounter resistance and spark settler rioting.
The settlers said in a statement to Channel 2 news the decision by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to evacuate them was regrettable. They urged him to "come and see the veracity of the documents and join us in celebrating the Land of Israel."
The settlers' trespassing into the homes near the Tomb of the Patriarchs caused Palestinian rioting on Thursday.
Settlers claimed the homes were secretly bought from the Palestinian owners, while Palestinians said they were illegally stolen.
The settlers had rushed over to the buildings, located in the al-Sahla neighborhood of the flashpoint West Bank city, and proceeded to break in using crowbars according to videos from the scene. The group also brought clothing and household items into the buildings.
Once inside, they raised the Israeli flag on the roof, according to reports on Palestinian Authority TV.
Palestinian residents of Hebron attempted to storm the buildings and a clash broke out between the illegal Jewish settlers and their Arab neighbors, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material
