Israel removes illegal outpost

Israel removes illegal outpost

The outpost did not have a permit

Israeli troops have dismantled an illegal Jewish outpost in the West Bank, in the first such move since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new government took office last month.

Bulldozers demolished the encampment which formed the outpost, known as Hilltop 26, near Hebron.

Israel's High Court ordered the outpost removed, saying it had been built on private Palestinian land.

The Israeli Government says only settlements built without permits are illegal, while the Palestinians say the presence of all Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza violate international law.

Site targeted

About a dozen settlers lived in three makeshift buildings on the hilltop, about 100 metres from the settlement of Kiryat Arba.

Israel radio said none of the settlers resisted when the army moved in.

Two months ago, Jewish settler Nethanel Ozeri, who set up the outpost, was shot dead by Palestinian militants on the doorstep of the caravan in which he lived with his wife and five children.

The Ozeri family was among those removed from the site on Monday.

Israel radio quoted military sources as saying Hilltop 26 "would never be authorised as a permanent settlement".

Pro-settler parties

About 20 similar outposts were dismantled under Mr Sharon's former government, which included the left-wing Labour Party.

Labour refused to join the new coalition and was replaced by right-wing pro-settler parties, which advocate expanding Jewish settlements.

Mr Sharon has previously championed the building of Jewish settlements and it is unclear whether more outposts will be removed.

About 200, 000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, land on which the Palestinians seek to establish a future Palestinian state.