Israel PM strikes deal for settlers to leave West Bank outpost

Israel's government has reached a deal for Jewish settlers to vacate an illegalWestBankoutpost.

Dozens of settler families several weeks ago started to build the Eviatar wildcat settlement in defiance of both international and Israeli law. This sparked protests from Palestinians in nearby villages.

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The Palestinians harassed the settlers by burning car tyres, sounding horns and pointing laser beams at them, leading to deadly clashes with Israeli security forces.

The hilltop area where the settlers have established their settlement of trailer homes and tents lies near Nablus in theWestBank, which is a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

According to the reports by AFP, the settlers will leave by 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) Friday. However, their temporary homes will remain and the Israeli army will establish a presence in the area.

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Palestinians in the nearby village of Beita have rejected any outcome other than a permanent evacuation of the settlers.

"This agreement was made between settlers and the army and we have nothing to do with it," Beita's deputy mayor Mussa Hamayel told AFP.

"Obviously, as long as any settler, or any soldier, remains on our land, clashes and protests will continue."

All Jewish settlements in theWestBankare considered 'illegal' by most of the international community. However, the settlement expansion has proliferated in recent years, with 475,000 Jewish Israelis now living in theWestBankalongside roughly 2.8 million Palestinians.

As of now, four Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops in unrest over Eviatar.

Further pressures may emerge as the settlers agitate for a return to the site, where they paved asphalt roads and connected some 50 trailers to electricity and plumbing in the time span of a week.