Israel to legalise disputed outposts

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has capitulated to heavy pressure from the settler lobby to find ways of legalising settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land, Haaretz newspaper said yesterday.
According to the paper, he has ordered Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman to set up a task force to explore ways of legalising such construction, contradicting a decision taken earlier this year to raze all such buildings.
The decision to set up a task force was taken after heavy pressure from the settler lobby and right-wing activists following the demolition in early September of three structures in Migron outpost near the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Further demolitions in another four outposts are expected to take place by the year's end.
The decision to demolish Migron and other outposts built on private Palestinian land was taken in February when Netanyahu and three other ministers met with Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, Haaretz said.
At the meeting, they agreed to raze a number of outposts built on private land while at the same time working to retroactively legalise any illegal construction in both settlements and outposts built on state land.
Hagit Ofran, who works with the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, said 70 outposts were built either partially or completely on private Palestinian land.
Ofran said she was "surprised" by the decision to set up a task force, which was most likely a move to "buy time" and stave off the upcoming round of outpost demolitions.
"I find it very hard to believe that they can get away with legalising such a land grab," she said.