Israel’s government reached a solution to relocate members of an outpost that was slated for dismantlement later this month, avoiding what could have been a violent confrontation.
Leaders of the community met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who presented an offer for relocation of some members to an adjacent plot and others to a nearby community, according to the Hebrew media. Netanyahu’s spokesman confirmed via text message that an agreement had been reached. Members of the West Bank outpost approved the plan with 45 voting in favor and 29 against, according to a community Twitter account.
“Amona’s decision was not an easy one,” according to the community tweet, referring to the name of the outpost. “All who voted FOR did that with a heavy heart, since so much is on the balance.”
The government has been seeking to find ways to avoid a forced evacuation of the community, which the Supreme Court ruled was built on private Palestinian land and would therefore have to be removed. The issue had split Israel’s pro-settlement camp, with some wary of irritating U.S. President Barack Obama in his last months in office and of breaching international law, while others saw the dismantlement as a betrayal of Israeli settlers.