Netanyahu orders dismantling of illegal West Bank settler outposts

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the dismantling of unauthorized Israeli settler outposts in the West Bank.

Sources speaking to Reuters stated that Netanyahu issued the order in response to US pressure to take firm action against settler violence directed at Palestinians.

It was not immediately clear when the dismantling operations would begin.

The report was published a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Palestinian Americans in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, which has been repeatedly targeted by settlers.

Huckabee had previously described attacks carried out by illegal Jewish settlers against Palestinians as “acts of terror”.

A longtime supporter of Israeli settlements, Huckabee has repeatedly condemned violent acts by settlers in recent weeks.

In August, he described settlers who surrounded Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra as “Israeli terrorists”, and subsequently warned that settlers who seize property belonging to Palestinian Americans could face US sanctions or entry bans to the country.

Stating that there should not be a “different standard of justice” depending on who committed the crime, Huckabee called on Israel to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

Unauthorized outposts typically consist of prefabricated structures housing a small number of settlers. While Israel dismantles such outposts from time to time, it grants retroactive authorization to others, enabling them to benefit from state funding.

Settler acts of violence have risen sharply in the West Bank in recent years. Palestinians and human rights organizations accuse Israeli authorities of failing to adequately investigate the attacks or bring the perpetrators to justice.

The United Nations and most countries consider all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law and view the area as “occupied territory”.

Israel disputes this characterization, maintaining that the territory is not occupied but rather a “disputed territory”.