Israel's Netanyahu orders West Bank settler outposts to be removed, sources say

Netanyahu ordered unauthorized outposts evicted under US pressure as Huckabee condemned violent settlers as terrorists

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered unauthorised settler ​outposts in the West Bank to be dismantled, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday, ‌amid pressure from the US to crack down on settler attacks on Palestinians.

The order applies to outposts established by settlers without official authorisation from the Israeli state, the sources said. Outposts typically consist of prefabricated caravans and house a small number of settlers. The state has from time to ​time demolished such structures and also formally recognised others, allowing them to access government funding.

It was not immediately clear ​when the operation would begin. UN bodies and most governments deem all Israeli settlements illegal under international ⁠law and consider the West Bank to be occupied territory under military control. Israel argues the territory is disputed, not ​occupied.

US urges Israel to act against settler violence

Netanyahu had ordered the eviction of the unauthorised outposts in response to pressure from ​the United States, the country's closest ally, the sources said.

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

Israeli website Ynet earlier reported the orders ​targeted around 100 outposts across the occupied territory.

The Israeli prime minister's office and the military, who would normally take ​part in clearing any outposts in the West Bank, did not immediately respond to a request to comment.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, asked at a ‌conference ⁠in Jerusalem about the Ynet report, said Netanyahu has given "an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B", referring to parts of the West Bank in which most Palestinians live.

Under the Oslo Accords, interim peace agreements reached in the 1990s between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the West Bank was split into three zones: A, B and C.

Smotrich, a settler ​himself who has overseen settlement housing ​projects and formally recognised ⁠homes built illegally, said that while he disagreed with Netanyahu's decision, the government had made huge strides in advancing settlements in Area C.

Hundreds of outposts across the West Bank

There are 340 outposts ​in the West Bank along with 146 settlements formally recognised by the Israeli government, according to ​Peace Now, an ⁠Israeli organisation that is critical of settlement expansion and advocates for a two-state solution.

Last month, Israeli settlers besieged the homes of Palestinians in a nearby village, including one owned by a Palestinian American, before the military forced them from the area. The village's Palestinian ⁠residents have ​said they have continued to face harassment and intimidation by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli ​government has condemned settler violence, though perpetrators are rarely arrested and even less frequently prosecuted.

On Saturday, US ambassador Huckabee said it was in Israel's own interest ​to take action against settlers carrying out what he described as "criminal behaviour and terrorism".

Read More: Pakistan, seven Muslim nations condemn 'inflammatory' Israeli remarks calling to displace Palestinians from Gaza

Israeli army chief warns of ‘tense, volatile period’ across all fronts

Eyal Zamir says military preparing for surprise attack as it launches drills simulating multi-front war

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that Israel was facing a “tense and volatile period across all sectors,” as the military continues its attacks on several regional fronts.

“We are in a tense and volatile period across all sectors, and are preparing for the upcoming holiday period,” a military statement quoted Zamir as saying during an assessment with the military’s top brass in a snap drill.

“The baseline posture of the entire Israeli army is readiness for a surprise attack,” he added.

Since October 2023, Israel has continued its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 73,000 people. Tel Aviv also fought two wars against Lebanon and Iran, and carried out attacks in Yemen and Qatar, in addition to near-daily ground incursions and artillery shelling in Syria.

Zamir said the drill simulates a multi-front war and seeks to test the army’s readiness at different levels and examine operational orders and plans, from the General Staff down to units deployed in the field.

He added that the drill forms part of military preparations for the Jewish holiday period, beginning with Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 11, followed by Yom Kippur on Sept. 20 and Sukkot on Sept. 25.

Also Read: Netanyahu-backed Israeli officials obstructing Trump’s Gaza plan: report

The surprise exercise was launched on Zamir’s orders to test the state of readiness at the General Staff and regional command levels, as well as the preparedness of emergency forces to respond to sudden, complex and multi-front scenarios, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.

The drill also includes testing procedures for raising the military’s alert level, mobilising reserve forces, and assessing decision-making and operational response mechanisms across various command levels, it added.

Separately, the Israeli army announced on Sunday morning that it would launch a large-scale exercise on Monday in the Red Sea coastal city of Eilat and the Araba Valley along the Jordanian border to simulate a surprise attack.

The military said forces would train for scenarios involving a sudden attack and infiltrations into Israeli territory by land, sea and air.

For decades, Israel has occupied Palestinian lands as well as territories in Lebanon and Syria, refusing to withdraw from them or allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as stipulated in relevant UN resolutions.