Israeli security forces on Thursday morning evacuated the West Bank outpost of Maoz Esther, hauling away seven metal containers converted to cabins, local daily Ha'aretz reported.

Several young men were at the camp but there was no violence, said the report, citing Israel Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.

The move came one day after Israeli Defense Ministry sources said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had agreed on a plan to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts.

According to the sources, Barak intends to dismantle a number of outposts out of the 26 illegal ones.

"It is entirely up to him, and the time and circumstances he sees fit," a source was quoted as saying.

Some 100 outposts, set up independently by Jewish settlers without formal government approval, are scattered throughout the West Bank, said Ha'aretz, adding that these outposts exist next to the 121 authorized West Bank settlements, which are legal under Israeli law.

Israeli ministers, including those from ruling Likud party, said Wednesday that Netanyahu probably had promised US President Barack Obama in their Monday meeting in Washington to dismantle the outposts soon.

Evacuating illegal outposts in the West Bank is expected to be the Netanyahu government's first gesture toward Obama and the Palestinian National Authority, said Ha'aretz.

On Wednesday, Barak said during a meeting in Tel Aviv with settler leaders that Israel will insist on the removal of illegal West Bank outposts even if physical force is required.

The defense minister said he preferred to remove the outposts through dialogues with the settler leaders.

"If it won't do through dialogues, we will act swiftly and aggressively to enforce the law," he said, adding that "We can not compromise when it comes to enforcing the law."

The 2003 road map agreement authored by the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators -- the United States, Europe, United Nations and Russia -- calls on Israel to dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001 and to freeze all construction in other settlements.

The Netanyahu government has said it will abide by the road map, but not move on to serious negotiations on a final peace deal until all of its preliminary clauses are met.