Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of unauthorised settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, according to two people familiar with the matter, as pressure from the United States grows over violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The reported directive targets settlement sites established without formal approval from the Israeli state. The sources said the order applies to such unauthorised outposts, many of which consist of prefabricated caravans occupied by relatively small groups of settlers.
It was not immediately known when Israeli authorities would begin carrying out the dismantling operation or how many of the sites would ultimately be affected.
The reported move comes amid increased scrutiny from Washington over attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Saturday described violent settlers as terrorists and called for severe consequences against those responsible.
Huckabee made the remarks after meeting Palestinian Americans in a West Bank town, adding to pressure on Israel to take stronger action against settler violence.
Israeli authorities have previously demolished structures considered unauthorised while granting official recognition to other settlement sites. Once formally recognised, such settlements can receive government funding and public services.
Israeli news website Ynet had earlier reported that Netanyahu’s order covered approximately 100 unauthorised outposts spread across the occupied West Bank. The report prompted a response from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who discussed the issue at a conference in Jerusalem.
Smotrich said the prime minister had issued instructions concerning outposts located in areas of the West Bank where most Palestinians live. He specifically referred to Israeli action against sites constructed in Areas A and B.
“An instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B,” Smotrich said, referring to Netanyahu’s reported directive.
The West Bank is divided into Areas A, B and C under arrangements established by the Oslo Accords, with different levels of Palestinian and Israeli administrative and security control. The reference to Areas A and B in Smotrich’s comments therefore places the reported order in areas where Palestinian administrative authority has varying degrees of responsibility.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the reported order. The military would ordinarily have a role in enforcing the removal of unauthorised outposts in the West Bank.
The developments came on the same day that Israel’s Supreme Court issued a separate ruling concerning Palestinians displaced from their homes by settlers.
The court ruled that Israeli defence authorities must facilitate the safe return of three Palestinian families to their homes in the West Bank village of Jalud. The families had been forced to leave their homes after settlers drove them from the area.
The ruling adds a judicial dimension to the growing debate over settler activity and Palestinian displacement in the West Bank, where unauthorised settlement construction and settler violence remain contentious issues.
The United Nations and most governments regard Israeli settlements in the West Bank as illegal under international law and consider the territory occupied. Israel rejects that interpretation, arguing that the West Bank is disputed territory rather than occupied territory.
The reported Netanyahu directive therefore comes against a backdrop of competing Israeli and international positions over settlements, territorial control and the legal status of the West Bank.
According to the two people familiar with the matter, the prime minister’s decision to order the removal of the unauthorised outposts was linked directly to pressure from Washington. The United States is Israel’s closest ally, making the issue particularly significant as American officials increasingly focus on settler violence against Palestinians.
The distinction between authorised settlements and unauthorised outposts is central to the reported order. While Israel has periodically taken down structures erected without government approval, other settlement sites have subsequently received formal recognition and access to state resources.
The reported instruction would therefore target settlements that lack formal state authorisation rather than necessarily representing a broader Israeli policy to dismantle all settlements in the West Bank.
Smotrich’s comments also indicate that the issue has become politically sensitive inside Israel. His remarks appeared to confirm that Netanyahu had issued instructions relating to outposts in Areas A and B, although the precise scope and timing of the enforcement action remained unclear.
The absence of an immediate response from the Prime Minister’s Office and military left several details unresolved, including the exact number of sites affected, the timetable for dismantling them and how the authorities intend to carry out the operation.
The Supreme Court ruling involving Jalud, meanwhile, places renewed attention on the consequences of settler activity for Palestinian communities. Three families are now entitled, under the court’s decision, to have defence authorities facilitate their safe return to their homes.
Taken together, the developments point to increasing pressure on Israeli authorities over the conduct of settlers in the West Bank. Washington’s criticism, the reported Netanyahu order and the Supreme Court ruling all came as the issue of settler violence and unauthorised outposts remained under intense scrutiny.
For Netanyahu’s government, the challenge involves balancing domestic political pressures surrounding the settlement movement with demands from Israel’s most important international ally to respond more forcefully to violence against Palestinians.
For Palestinians affected by settler attacks and displacement, the practical impact of the reported order will depend on whether authorities ultimately dismantle the targeted outposts and enforce measures designed to prevent further violence and displacement.
As of Sunday, however, the exact timetable for removing the unauthorised sites had not been announced, and Israeli authorities had not publicly confirmed the reported order.
Netanyahu Orders Removal of Unauthorised West Bank Settler Outposts as US Pressure Mounts
