Date: 21 / 05 / 2009  Time:  12:58
Bethlehem - Ma’an/Agencies -

 In what appears to be a gesture to US President Barack Obama, Israeli occupation forces evacuated an illegal seven-hut settlement northeast of Ramallah Thursday morning.

The tiny outpost was established in 2005 by residents of the nearby Kokhav HaShahar, and lately inhabited by youth from the settlement. Israeli police reported no violent reaction to the evacuation, the first forcible removal of Israeli settlers since the Al-Rajabi house incident on 4 December in Hebron.

The removal followed a Wednesday meeting between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and West Bank settler leaders where sides agreed that illegal outposts would be evacuated.

The settlers responsible for the outpost were quoted in the Israeli pres as saying, "The expulsion that is being carried out now is the first phase in Barak's policy to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital that will later turn into a Hamas state."

The move elicited dozens of angry reactions from settler and right-wing groups.

During the news conference following the Washington meeting between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu the US leader said,. “Settlements have to be stopped in order for us to move forward.”

There are more than 100 illegal outposts across the West Bank with approximately 300 permanent structures erected on Palestinian land and 3,000 settlers illegally inhabiting them, according to Peace Now’s data from 2007.

These are in addition to the 132 illegal settlements in the West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem with more than 500,000 settlers residing in them.

Netanyahu vows to dismantle some Israeli settlement outposts illegally built on Palestinian lands

Thursday May 21, 2009 12:35 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

 The Israeli occupation government prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli occupation government so-called defense minister, Ehud Barack, reportedly agreed to dismantle some illegal settlement outposts built by the settlers on private Palestinian lands. They said the evacuation would take place within weeks.

According to a report published by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, Barak said he would dismantle some 36 illegal outposts and that Netanyahu would not oppose the move.

Some Israeli leaders, including members from the Likud Party, stated on Wednesday that Netanyahu most likely vowed to the US president Barack Obama to dismantle the outposts.

 Speaking to settlers of the illegal Yesha settlement council on Wednesday, Barak said that he would use force to evacuate the illegal outposts if dialogue with the settlers fails to achieve results.

 Several Israeli government sources said that the Netanyahu government is trying to appease Obama and that the evacuation orders as a gesture to the US Administration and the Palestinian Authority headed by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

The issue here is regarding some random outposts constructed by extremist settlers on privately-owned Palestinian lands. Yet, Israel refused to evacuate its settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and is ongoing with its plans to expand the chain of illegal settlements.

Netanyahu said that he wants to resume the peace process with the Palestinians but without adhering to any of the United Nations and Security Council resolutions regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He refuses any talks on Palestinian statehood, Jerusalem and the Palestinian refugees’ Right of Return. Netanyahu is offering what he calls “economic peace” with the Palestinians and limited autonomy.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal and in direct violation to the International Law and the Fourth Geneva Conventions.