Netanyahu orders some West Bank outposts removed, amid US pressure over settler attacks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the demolition of unauthorized Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to two sources speaking to Reuters. The order stems from U.S. pressure to curb settler aggression towards Palestinians. The dismantling is not yet scheduled to begin. The report follows a day after U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Palestinian Americans in Turmus Ayya, a West Bank town often targeted by settlers.

Huckabee labeled the attacks on Palestinians as "acts of terror" and has harshly criticized settler violence recently. In August, he branded settlers who surrounded Palestinian homes in Qusra village as "Israeli terrorists" and warned that those seizing property from Palestinian Americans could face U.S. sanctions. Huckabee urged Israel to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, emphasizing that there should be "no different standard of justice" based on the perpetrator's identity.

Unauthorized settlements generally comprise prefabricated dwellings for a small number of settlers. Israel has dismantled such outposts in the past while retrospectively approving others and allowing them to utilize government funding. Growing settler violence in the West Bank has prompted Palestinians and human rights groups to accuse Israeli authorities of insufficient investigation and prosecution.

The United Nations and most nations deem all Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, viewing the territory as occupied. Israel rejects this, arguing the territory is disputed, not occupied.