Netanyahu orders demolition of West Bank settler outposts – Reuters

The Israeli prime minister made the decision under pressure from the US, the agency’s sources have said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the removal of illegal settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, Reuters has reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.Netanyahu made the demand under pressure from Israel’s main ally, the US, which recently expressed concerns over the rise in attacks on Palestinian homes by the Jewish settlers, the agency said in an article on Sunday. It was not immediately clear when the demolitions would start, it added.The Israeli outlet Ynet claimed earlier that the prime minister had instructed that some 100 outposts, built without permission from the Israeli government, be brought down.According to data from the Israeli NGO Peace Now, there are some 340 outposts erected on Palestinian land in the West Bank, along with 146 settlements formally recognized by the authorities in Israel and receiving funding from West Jerusalem. The outposts usually consist of light prefabricated houses, in which small groups of settlers reside. The Israeli government has demolished some of the unauthorized settlements over the years, but they a...