Palestinians complain bitterly of land lost over the past decades of Mideast conflict. Yanun is believed to the first time in recent years that Palestinians have abandoned an entire village due to the conflict.
Confrontations between Jewish settlers and Palestinians often fall into a murky legal area, with the IDF, the police and the military's civil administration in the territories all being involved to varying degrees.
An IDF spokesman, who did not want his name used, said soldiers try to prevent conflict between settlers and Palestinians, but that forces are primarily in the area to protect Israelis from attacks by Palestinian militants.
Spokesmen for the police and the civil administration could not be reached on Friday evening, the beginning of the Jewish sabbath. Phone calls to the Yesha Settler's Council, an umbrella group for the settlers, also went unanswered Friday.
The nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, about 10 kilometers (six miles) to the west, was attacked by a Palestinian gunman on June 20. Five Israelis were killed and eight were injured before the gunman was shot dead.
The residents of Yanun have not been linked to that attack or other violence.
Yanun is an isolated valley hamlet flanked by two illegal outposts on nearby hilltops. The nearest settlement approved by the Israeli government is Itamar.
Confrontations between Jewish settlers and Palestinians often fall into a murky legal area, with the IDF, the police and the military's civil administration in the territories all being involved to varying degrees.
An IDF spokesman, who did not want his name used, said soldiers try to prevent conflict between settlers and Palestinians, but that forces are primarily in the area to protect Israelis from attacks by Palestinian militants.
Spokesmen for the police and the civil administration could not be reached on Friday evening, the beginning of the Jewish sabbath. Phone calls to the Yesha Settler's Council, an umbrella group for the settlers, also went unanswered Friday.
The nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, about 10 kilometers (six miles) to the west, was attacked by a Palestinian gunman on June 20. Five Israelis were killed and eight were injured before the gunman was shot dead.
The residents of Yanun have not been linked to that attack or other violence.
Yanun is an isolated valley hamlet flanked by two illegal outposts on nearby hilltops. The nearest settlement approved by the Israeli government is Itamar.