Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the dismantling of unauthorised settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday, amid growing pressure from the United States to curb settler attacks on Palestinians.
The order applies to outposts established without formal authorisation from the Israeli state, according to the sources. Such sites typically consist of prefabricated caravans housing small groups of settlers.
Israeli authorities have periodically demolished unauthorised structures while formally recognising others, allowing them to receive government funding and services.
It was not immediately clear when the dismantling operation would begin.
Separately, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that defence authorities must facilitate the safe return of three Palestinian families to their homes in the West Bank village of Jalud after settlers forced them to leave.
The United Nations and most governments consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and regard the territory as occupied. Israel rejects that position, maintaining that the territory is disputed rather than occupied.
Netanyahu ordered the removal of the unauthorised outposts in response to pressure from the United States, Israel’s closest ally, according to the sources.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday described violent settlers as terrorists and called for severe consequences against them following a meeting with Palestinian Americans in a West Bank town.
Israeli news website Ynet earlier reported that the order covered about 100 outposts across the occupied territory.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the military, which would typically be involved in clearing unauthorised outposts in the West Bank, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, responding to the Ynet report at a conference in Jerusalem, said Netanyahu had given instructions concerning outposts in parts of the West Bank where most Palestinians live.
Smotrich said Netanyahu had given “an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B”, referring to parts of the West Bank under varying degrees of Palestinian administrative control.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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