Netanyahu orders West Bank outposts to be removed amid US pressure, sources tell Reuters

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered illegal settler outposts in the West Bank to be dismantled, two people familiar with the matter tell Reuters, amid pressure from the US to crack down on settler attacks on Palestinians.

Netanyahu ordered the eviction of the outposts in response to pressure from the United States, the sources say.

While outposts are technically considered illegal under Israeli law, as they’re established without all of the necessary permits, most of them receive varying degrees of government support and funding. Some have later been formally recognized.

The state has from time to time demolished such outposts. Outposts are often rebuilt immediately after being demolished, and previous government decisions to crack down on the phenomenon have not been widely enforced.

It was not immediately clear when the operation would begin. The Ynet news site earlier reported the orders targeted around 100 outposts across the West Bank.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denounced violent settlers as terrorists yesterday and called for them to face severe consequences following a meeting with several Palestinian Americans in a West Bank town.

The Prime Minister’s office does not respond to a request to comment.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, asked at a conference in Jerusalem about the Ynet report, says Netanyahu has given “an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B,” referring to parts of the West Bank meant to be under full or partial Palestinian Authority control. The effort to crack down on Area B outposts, however, is reportedly not new, as it was part of a government decision in April, according to the Ma’ariv outlet.

In recent months, the West Bank has seen near-daily incidents of settler violence and harassment. Arrests and prosecutions are rare, and critics accuse the government of condoning or even encouraging the attacks.

Yesterday, Huckabee said it was in Israel’s own interest to take action against settlers carrying out what he described as “criminal behavior and terrorism.”