Inhabited Jewish outposts dismantled

Israel says 15 outposts will be removed initially

The Israeli army has dismantled one inhabited Jewish settlement and is due to remove four more later on Tuesday as a gesture towards meeting the demands of a fresh Middle East peace plan.

It is unclear how many people live in the outposts due to be removed. The majority of the 15 sites scheduled for destruction are unpopulated, comprising a handful of empty caravans and trailers on isolated hilltops.

The move has nonetheless met massive resistance from Jewish settlers, with angry scenes at the sites. Their leaders have promised to put up two new outposts for each one that is taken down.

The Palestinian Authority for its part has reacted sceptically to their removal, with one minister describing Israel's actions as a "game of deception".

The move to take down the outposts follows a summit in Jordan last week in which both the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers made commitments aimed at ending the spiral of violence.

We have thousands, even tens of thousands, who are ready to fight

Aid Mintz, Jewish settler leader

In pictures: Outposts demolished

Israeli press on settler crisis

But clashes have continued. In the latest incident, the Israeli army said two Palestinian militants were shot dead on Monday, as they were trying to attack one of the Jewish settlements.

On Monday, the White House has issued a blunt warning to Palestinian leaders, saying the failure to end attacks on Israelis was threatening the creation of a Palestinian state envisaged in the roadmap.

'Ready to fight'

At present the Israel plans to dismantle just 15 wildcat outposts, although the roadmap calls on Israel to remove around 90 of them set up since Mr Sharon came to power in March 2001.

Settlement block on road to peace

Israeli sources have told the BBC that the government has yet to agree to dismantle them all.

On Monday, the army pulled down the first two outposts - Neve Erez and Amona, near the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

Scores of teenage settlers protested at Neve Erez but did not prevent the army from removing the outpost's single feature, a water tower.

The settlers have warned they will put up stiffer resistance.

"We have thousands, even tens of thousands, who are ready to fight," said a settler leader, Adi Mintz.

Hamas considers talks

On Monday, Israeli army said its soldiers killed two armed Palestinians trying to infiltrate the settlement of Netzarim, military officials said.

Earlier in the day, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, pledged to continue seeking an end to attacks on Israelis, despite the rejection of his appeal for a ceasefire by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"We... underline our determination to pursue the dialogue with the movements which criticised us on this issue. But we are forcing no-one to take part in the ceasefire talks," Abu Mazen told reporters.

ROADMAP MAIN POINTS

Phase 1 (to May 2003): End to Palestinian violence; Palestinian political reform; Israeli withdrawal and freeze on settlement expansion; Palestinian elections

Phase 2: (June-Dec 2003) Creation of an independent Palestinian state; international conference and international monitoring of compliance with roadmap

Phase 3 (2004-2005): Second international conference; permanent status agreement and end of conflict; agreement on final borders, Jerusalem, refugees and settlements; Arab states to agree to peace deals with Israel

Roadmap full text

Q&A: What roadmap means

Hamas said it would consider renewing dialogue with Abu Mazen, which it broke off on Friday in anger at the prime minister's acceptance of a political settlement with Israel.

Palestinian officials have dismissed Israel's actions as a ploy to avoid dismantling larger settlements on land Palestinians claim for a future state.

Hamas denounced the removal of some Jewish outposts on Monday as a "trick", while Nabil Abu Rdainah, a senior aide to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called Israel's move a "theatrical and insignificant step".

At a news conference on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that despite continuing attacks by Palestinian militants, he remained committed to the roadmap.