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🇬🇷 Greece /Disasters & Emergencies

West Bank: Netanyahu retreats on settlements and orders outpost evacuations after U.S. pressure

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the evacuation of some unauthorized settler outposts in areas under Palestinian Authority control.
  • Israeli media reported that Washington pressured Netanyahu, but his office did not respond to an Agence France-Presse inquiry.
  • Smotrich defended his settlement policy, while violence has intensified in the West Bank since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the evacuation of some settler outposts in the West Bank, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said he disliked the directive. The reported move appears linked to pressure from Washington.

Smotrich said he understood that Netanyahu had ordered the evacuation, but did not specify which outposts were affected. Israeli media also reported the decision, with Ynet saying it followed U.S. pressure. Netanyahu’s office did not answer an Agence France-Presse question about the reports.

As far as I know, Netanyahu gave the instruction to evacuate

· Bezalel SmotrichThe finance minister described the order during a symposium in Jerusalem.

According to Smotrich, the order concerns outposts built in areas under Palestinian Authority control without formal approval from Israeli authorities. Such sites differ from officially recognized Israeli settlements. They often consist of a few caravans, prefabricated homes or improvised structures, and some began as agricultural installations.

he did not like this instruction

· Bezalel SmotrichSmotrich said he opposed the reported directive while discussing Netanyahu’s order.

Despite the order, Smotrich presented himself as proud of his broader settlement policy. The far-right minister, who supports annexing the entire West Bank, said he had carried out a “revolution” through the construction and legalization of villages, farms, roads and thousands of homes in the occupied territory. Netanyahu had pledged at the end of August to continue establishing Israeli settlements despite growing international pressure.

Settlement construction and expansion have increased significantly under Netanyahu’s governments. Settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects. Around three million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. Violence has sharply escalated since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with near-daily reports of settler violence and Israeli raids on Palestinian villages. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the West Bank on Saturday and expressed support for Palestinian Americans who had been attacked by settlers.

revolution

· Bezalel SmotrichHe used the term to describe settlement construction and legalization in the West Bank.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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