Israeli settlers in West Bank outpost reject non-violent eviction offer

Settlers from the West Bank outpost of Amona decided on Thursday morning to reject the government's offer for a non-violent eviction, and prepared to resist the looming eviction.

The deal, put forward by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the pro-settler Jewish Home faction, offered the 40 settler families of Amona to leave the outpost peacefully, which the Supreme Court ruled that they must be evicted by December 25 because it was built on Private Palestinian land.

In return, the government would relocate their homes to other Palestinian lands on the same hilltop, which Israel announced as "abandoned."

After a day of deliberations, the settlers decided to refuse the offer.

In a statement that they released to the media, the settlers explained that the deal didn't assure that they could stay on the new lands permanently.

"We have learned from experience not to believe promises which are not backed by commitments," the statement read. " Therefore, we will continue being true to our original goal...After ten hours of deliberation we have decided by a clear majority to reject the offer given to us," it added.

Over the past days, as the settlers' answer was stalling, the police and military have already started to prepare for the eviction with large forces.

An assessment by the Shin Bet security service expects that hundreds of right-wing activists will arrive at the outpost and clash with the security forces.

The Hebrew-language Walla news site reported that the eviction is expected to take place "within days."

The Supreme Court ruled that Amona must be evacuated before the end of the year because it was illegally built on private Palestinian lands.

Amona, east of Ramallah city, is the largest among the so-called "unauthorized outposts," communities built by far-right Israelis without permits from the government.

There are about 100 unauthorized outposts, and additional 120 settlements that Israel considers legal.

Both outposts and settlements are illegal under international law as they were built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War. Endit