Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered some illegal outposts in the West Bank dismantled, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed on Sunday, amid pressure from the US to crack down on violent settlers.
According to a Reuters report, Netanyahu ordered the evictions in response to Washington’s pressure. The High Court of Justice on Sunday also assailed the government, Israel Defense Forces, and police for their failure to quell the attacks, though two arrests were made over an incident in the Nablus-area Palestinian town of Qusra.
The outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law, as they’re established without all of the necessary permits — however, most of them receive varying degrees of government support and funding, and some have later been formally recognized.
The state has from time to time demolished some outposts, but they are often rebuilt immediately after being demolished, and previous government decisions to crack down on the phenomenon have not been widely enforced.
The Ynet news site reported that Netanyahu’s order targeted around 100 outposts across the West Bank.
