Israel Evicts West Bank Settlers

Israeli forces evict a group of settlers from a disputed house in Hebron on April 4, a day after they were ordered to leave the Palestinian property in the occupied West Bank. (Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images)

Israeli authorities removed a group of Jewish settlers from an outpost in the West Bank, with most leaving voluntarily.

There were minor scuffles between settler activists, who barricaded themselves in their home, and with the police, the Jerusalem Post reported. They were forcibly removed and eight were arrested. One person climbed on top of his roof and refused to come down.

In all, around 50 families were evacuated from the West Bank Migron settlement, which is on private Palestinian land and the Israeli government has deemed illegal.

“We have an obligation to respect the rule of law and an obligation to strengthen settlements,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, according to the Post. He added, “There is no contradiction between these two things.”

Rabbi Mordecai Rabinovitch, who said he refused to accept the government-mandated eviction, told Ynet News that “I don’t know what a ‘peaceful evacuation’ means. All I know is that we are to settle the Land of Israel, which was stolen from us and we came back to it.”

Settlers in Migron said in a statement that they “feel betrayed” by the move and promised they “will not yield” to the Israeli government.