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WORLD NEWS Thursday 2 February 2017

Israel evacuates West Bank outpost amid new settlement binge

NEBI QENA ist coalition government is
TIA GOLDENBERG dominated by settlers and
Associated Press their allies.
AMONA, West Bank (AP) In contrast to his predeces-
— Israeli forces uprooted sors, Trump has voiced no
this West Bank outpost on objections to Israel’s latest
Wednesday, removing resi- settlement binge. Amona
dents and hundreds of their residents and their support-
supporters in sometimes ers had hoped Trump and
violent clashes as they dis- his softer approach might
mantled a community that open a door for the out-
has become a symbol of post to remain on the hill-
Jewish settler defiance. top, to no avail.
The evacuation, which fol- Police spokesman Micky
lowed years of legal bat- Rosenfeld said some 3,000
tles, came amid a flurry officers were deployed to
of bold new settlement carry out the evacuation.
moves by Israel’s govern- They were met by 1,500
ment, which has been protesters who erected
buoyed by the election of makeshift barricades from
President Donald Trump. smashed tiles, rusty metal
Thousands of police of- bars and large rocks to
ficers carried out the re- slow the police advance.
moval, squaring off against Police said some 20 offi-
hundreds of protesters, cers were slightly injured by
many of them young reli- stones or an unidentified
gious activists who flocked Israeli police arrest a settler in Amona outpost in the West Bank, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. Israeli liquid hurled at them and
forces have begun evacuating a controversial settlement Amona, which is the largest of about
to the wind-swept hilltop 100 unauthorized outposts erected in the West Bank without permission but generally tolerated by a dozen protesters were
to show their solidarity with the Israeli government. arrested. Hundreds of pro-
residents. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) testers were removed from
Planting themselves inside the hill and more than half
trailer homes and the com- with tacit support from the that the entire outpost was fore the outpost’s removal, of the outpost’s roughly
munity’s synagogue, the Israeli government. It was built on private Palestinian signaling a ramping up of 40 families had left their
protesters defied police, the scene of violent clashes land and must be demol- settlement construction un- homes by nightfall.
who carried some away. between settlers and secu- ished, setting Feb. 8 as the der President Trump, who Protesters, who began ar-
Protesters chained them- rity forces during a partial final deadline after repeat- has indicated he will be riving in the weeks ahead
selves to heavy objects or demolition exactly 11 years ed delays. more accepting of Israeli of the slated demoli-
linked arms to form a wall ago, on Feb. 1, 2006. In an apparent attempt to settlement policies. The tion, heckled officers and
against police, chanting Those homes were found to temper settler anger over settler movement is a po- pleaded with them to re-
“Jews don’t expel Jews!” be built on private Palestin- the evacuation, Israel ap- tent political force in Israel, fuse their orders. The evac-
Dozens of residents reluc- ian land. Israel’s Supreme proved thousands of new and Prime Minister Benja- uation was expected to
tantly left their homes with- Court later ruled in 2014 settler homes a day be- min Netanyahu’s national- drag into the night.q
out resistance, young chil-
dren in tow.
“This is my home. I want to Iranian general acknowledges missile test
stay here. It is my right to
stay here,” resident Tam- AMIR VAHDAT Tasnim news agency as include provisions against tained and expanded its
ar Nizri told Channel 2 TV
news. “This is expulsion, de- Associated Press saying “the recent missile missile tests. own sanctions related to
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s test is in line with our plans When it came into effect in Iran’s missile program.
struction, an injustice and a
crime. The most basic truth defense minister said and we will not let any for- 2016, the Security Council At the request of the Unit-
lifted most U.N. sanctions ed States, the U.N. Security
Wednesday that his coun-
eigner meddle with our de-
is that the Land of Israel
belongs to the people of try recently carried out fense issues. against Tehran, including a Council held an session on
a missile test, days after ” He did not say when the 2010 ban on testing missiles Tuesday to address allega-
Israel,” including the West
Bank, she said. the White House said it test was carried out or capable of carrying nucle- tions that Iran conducted a
was looking into reports of specify the type of missile, ar warheads.
ballistic missile test.
With some 250 residents,
Amona is the largest of an Iranian ballistic missile but said the test was not in The council nevertheless The council referred the
launch that may have con-
violation of U.N. resolutions adopted a resolution in matter to its committee
about 100 unauthorized
outposts erected in the travened a U.N. resolution. or the 2015 nuclear accord. 2015 which “calls on” Iran on Iran and asked for an
Gen. Hossein Dehghan was The nuclear deal reached not to carry out such tests.
West Bank without formal investigation.q
permission but generally quoted by the semi-official with world powers does not The United States has main-