Netanyahu Orders Rare Demolition of Unauthorised Israeli Outposts in West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the demolition of some unauthorised Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday, amid US pressure to halt settler attacks on Palestinians.

The unnamed sources said the directive applies to outposts built without formal approval from the Israeli state. Such outposts typically consist of small pre-built caravans or mobile homes occupied by a limited number of settlers.

Israeli authorities have demolished such structures at different times, while formally recognising some outposts. Once recognised, outposts become eligible for state funding. The timing of any demolition operation was not immediately clear.

Israel’s Supreme Court on Sunday ordered Israeli defence authorities to take steps to ensure the safe return of three Palestinian families to their homes in the West Bank village of Jalud. Settlers had forced the families from their homes.

Various United Nations agencies and most governments consider Israeli settlements illegal under international law and regard the West Bank as occupied territory under military control. Israel maintains that the West Bank is disputed territory rather than occupied land.

Sources said Netanyahu issued the demolition directive in response to pressure from the United States, Israel’s closest ally. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday condemned Israeli settlers involved in violence as “terrorists”.

Huckabee called for tough punitive measures against settlers after meeting several Palestinian-Americans in a Palestinian town in the West Bank.

Israeli website Ynet had earlier reported that Netanyahu’s directive covered about 100 outposts in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli prime minister’s office and military are generally involved in operations to remove outposts in the West Bank, but neither immediately responded to requests for comment.

Speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Netanyahu had ordered the removal of structures built in Areas A and B. Large parts of Areas A and B include locations where most Palestinians in the West Bank live.

The West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C under the Oslo Accords, interim peace agreements reached between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s.

Smotrich, who is himself a settler, has overseen housing projects for settlement construction in the West Bank and formally recognised some illegally built homes. Smotrich said he disagreed with Netanyahu’s decision, while claiming that the government had made major progress in expanding settlements in Area C.

According to Israeli organisation Peace Now, there are currently 340 outposts in the West Bank, alongside 146 settlements formally recognised by the Israeli government. Peace Now criticises settlement expansion and supports a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last month, Israeli settlers surrounded Palestinian homes in a nearby village, including a house owned by a Palestinian-American. The Israeli military later removed the settlers from the area, but Palestinian residents said they continued to face harassment and intimidation from Israeli settlers.