Netanyahu orders removal of unauthorized West Bank settler outposts, sources say

Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank, according to two people familiar with the matter. The reported move comes as the United States presses Israel to act against attacks by settlers on Palestinians.

The order applies to outposts established without formal authorization from the Israeli state. Such sites generally consist of prefabricated caravans housing a small number of settlers. Israel has sometimes demolished them and, in other cases, granted formal recognition that allows access to government funding. It remained unclear when the removals would begin.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee intensified the pressure on Saturday, calling violent settlers terrorists and demanding severe consequences after meeting Palestinian Americans in a West Bank town. Israeli website Ynet reported that the order covered about 100 outposts across the territory.

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an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Netanyahu had instructed authorities to evict sites built in Areas A and B, parts of the West Bank where most Palestinians live. Smotrich, himself a settler, said he disagreed with the decision but argued that the government had made major progress advancing settlements in Area C.

Peace Now, an Israeli organization critical of settlement expansion, says the West Bank contains 340 outposts and 146 settlements formally recognized by the Israeli government. The Israeli government has condemned settler violence, but the article says perpetrators are rarely arrested. The prime minister's office and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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terrorists