The Israeli Defence Minister has ordered the army to evacuate people from 15 Jewish settler outposts on occupied land in the West Bank that he says are illegal.
A spokesman said Mr Benjamin Ben-Eliezer "understands the sensitivity of the settlers but he can't take responsibility for the security of illegal outposts".
The spokesman declined to name the outposts but said most of them were remote footholds established by settlers in recent months in response to attacks by Palestinian gunmen on settlers travelling West Bank roads. Such outposts usually consist of a few makeshift structures or caravans.
Palestinians see them as the seeds of future settlements on land they want for an independent state. International law considers them illegal.
A US-led proposal for ending violence and renewing peace talks has called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity. Israel maintains it will not build new settlements but will allow existing ones to build up to accommodate natural growth.
AFP &