Israeli court orders W. Bank settler outpost demolished

Verdict comes day after Knesset approves legislation approving thousands of illegal West Bank settlement homes

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the demolition of a Jewish settlement outpost located in the occupied West Bank, Israeli media has reported.

According to Israeli Radio, the 17-home outpost sits on private Palestinian land near the city of Salfit in the eastern West Bank.

The court has given the Israeli authorities until June of next year to evacuate and raze the outpost, the broadcaster reported.

The court verdict comes one day after the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) approved controversial legislation retroactively approving thousands of illegal settlement homes in the occupied West Bank.

Knesset members approved the bill late Monday by a vote of 60 to 52.

International law views the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement-building on the land as illegal.

Roughly 500,000 Israelis now live on more than 100 Jewish-only settlements built since Israel occupied the Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967.

The Palestinians, for their part, want these areas -- along with the Gaza Strip -- for a future state of Palestine.

Kaynak:

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