Compromise reached: Families to leave Evyatar outpost, yeshiva to be established there

A compromise deal has been reached to prevent the razing of an illegal West Bank outpost that would see some parts of the settler site remain in place, the Samaria Regional Council announces in a statement.

The statement says residents of the Evyatar outpost overwhelmingly approved the deal reached with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, claiming it has been welcomed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

The deal will see the state reconsider the status of the outpost’s land with a view to making it legal for a future settlement, after “it was proven that Evyatar is not situated on private land.”

The Evyatar residents will leave but the structures won’t be demolished. Rather, the IDF will immediately transform the outpost into a makeshift army base, and in some six weeks, a new yeshiva will be established there.

Meanwhile, authorities will examine the legal status of the land. Should the land eventually be approved for use by the settlers, residents would be able to move back to the community.

Bennett, who leads the right-wing Yamina party, is said to be eager to avoid the spectacle of the outpost being removed, given the current political situation in which the coalition is struggling to maintain a majority in the Knesset.