Two new outposts go up in West Bank
Police demolish two buildings in outpost near Yitzhar
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two new settler outposts were erected in the West Bank, with the approval of municipal authorities, Peace Now said Wednesday.
At the same time, police forces demolished two buildings in an illegal outpost near the settlement of Yitzhar.
The two new outposts include mobile homes, infrastructure, electricity, water and roads, and even air conditioning, the Israeli organization said in a report published on its website.
It is the first time since 2005 that new unauthorized outposts have been established with municipal support, according to Peace Now.
The new outposts are “Nahalei Tal,” near the Talmon settlement northwest of Ramallah, and “Tzofim North,” adjacent to the Tzofim settlement north of the Palestinian city of Qalqilya.
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Both outposts are built on state lands and are located within the municipal boundaries of existing settlements. The Tzofim North outpost is located in the path of a court-mandated rerouting of the security fence, however.
“After the government rewarded the lawbreakers that built on private Palestinian lands in Migron and the Ulpana with alternative homes and other benefits, the government continues to make a mockery of the rule of law and to allow a radical minority to establish new outposts, which create facts on the ground that harm the possibility of an agreement with the Palestinians,” Peace Now said in a statement.
In Yitzhar, settlers said large police forces converged on the Kipah Srugah outpost Thursday morning and destroyed two mobile homes, Israeli media reported. The outpost is located adjacent to the settlement, in central Samaria.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
