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BUCHAREST / AP
Israel’s prime minister on Thursday vowed to establish a new West Bank settlement “as soon as possible,” promising to make up for the court-ordered demolition of an illegal settler outpost.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement was his latest step to expand Israeli settlement construction in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Trump has signaled a far softer line toward the settlements, which are considered illegal by most of the international community.
Netanyahu spoke just as Israeli security forces were completing the evacuation of Amona, where they broke into a synagogue earlier on Thursday to remove 200 Israeli protesters who had barricaded themselves inside. Netanyahu’s pro-settler government had unsuccessfully tried to block the evacuation of Amona. But Israel’s Supreme Court rejected all appeals after determining the outpost was built illegally two decades ago on private Palestinian land.
Speaking at a ceremony in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, Netanyahu expressed “great pain” over the removal of Amona.
“We all understand the depth of the pain and therefore we will establish a new settlement on state land,” he said. “Already yesterday I formed a team that will determine the settlement location and get everything ready. And we will act so that it happens as soon as possible.” After years of clashes with the Obama administration, Netanyahu’s nationalist coalition has welcomed Trump’s election. With Trump perceived as being sympathetic to the settlements, Netanyahu has announced plans to build over 6,000 new settlement homes since the new U.S. president was sworn in two weeks ago. The White House has not commented on the construction binge, a dramatic contrast to the harsh condemnations voiced by Barack Obama’s administration and Israel’s allies in Europe.
Both Britain, a close Israeli ally, and the European Union issued condemnations of Netanyahu’s approval this week of 3,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank.
“This spike in settlement activity undermines trust and makes a two state solution much harder to achieve,” said Britain’s minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood.
Amona has emerged as a symbol of settler defiance. On Thursday, Israeli police completed the evacuation of the wind-swept community, where hundreds of Jewish activists joined residents in resisting the pullout.
Police began the evacuation on Wednesday, but about 200 activists remained holed up in the synagogue. On Thursday, several hundred Israeli forces surrounded the building, and officers wearing goggles and wielding plastic shields broke through the doors and sprayed water to push back defiant protesters.