Israeli security forces evict Jewish settlers in West Bank

Israeli security forces yesterday evicted a group of Jewish settlers from a building they had occupied in the West Bank flashpoint of Hebron last week. However, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed fresh support for expanding the Israeli presence elsewhere in the occupied territory.

The surprise operation by special forces in Hebron was ordered after Mr Netanyahu decided to accept the stance of his attorney-general, Yehuda Weinstein, that the settler presence in the house was illegal since no prior authorization for it was obtained from the military. The settlers in Hebron, among the most hard-line in the West Bank, insist that they purchased the property legally from a Palestinian, something Palestinian officials disputed.

“It is intolerable that Jews cannot implement their property rights simply because they are Jews,” said Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha council representing 300,000 settlers in the West Bank. “Something has been breached in terms of our faith in the prime minister.”

Ehud Barak, the defence minister, defended the eviction. “It is not possible to allow a situation in which actions are taken contrary to the law.”

Despite the criticism against him, Mr Netanyahu made clear yesterday that the eviction does not mean any lessening of his support for settlers.

He told the government he will seek to legalize three settler outposts established in other parts of the occupied territory.