Conflict & Security
Netanyahu orders some West Bank outposts evacuated: minister
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the evacuation of some settler outposts in the occupied West Bank that are illegal under Israeli law, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on September 6.
“To my knowledge, Netanyahu has given the instruction to evacuate” certain settlements, Smotrich said, adding that he did not approve of the measure.
Smotrich said the evacuation concerned outposts built in areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority and without official authorisation.
Several Israeli media outlets also reported on Sunday that Netanyahu had issued the order. Israel's Ynet news site said the order was the result of US pressure. Netanyahu's office did not respond to AFP's request for comment.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. Some established without Israeli government approval, often consisting of a few prefabricated homes, are also considered illegal by Israel.
At the end of August, Netanyahu had promised to continue establishing settlements in the West Bank despite growing international backlash. Settlement construction and expansion in the Palestinian territory has increased significantly under his government.
Smotrich, the leader of a far-right party that advocates the annexation of the entire West Bank, said on Sunday that he had led “a revolution” by building and legalising “villages, farms, roads and thousands of homes” in the territory.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements there among about three million Palestinians.
The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since the Gaza war began after Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the West Bank on Saturday in support of Palestinians with US citizenship who have been victims of settler attacks. “Our clear message is that crime is crime, terror is terror,” Huckabee said, without naming Israel. “When people do it they should have an expectation that they will have severe consequences.”
Update
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the evacuation concerned outposts built in areas under Palestinian Authority control and without official authorisation.
Several Israeli media outlets also reported that Netanyahu had issued the order.
Ynet reported that the order was the result of US pressure.
Netanyahu's office did not respond to AFP's request for comment.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the West Bank on Saturday in support of Palestinians with US citizenship who had been victims of settler attacks.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 17:37:00 UTC.
Update
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was the minister who said Netanyahu had ordered the evacuations.
Smotrich said he did not approve of the measure.
The affected outposts are described as settlements deemed illegal under Israeli law.
The item explains that all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law, while some without Israeli government approval are also illegal under Israeli law.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 September 2026 at 17:06:32 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
Netanyahu's office had not confirmed the reported evacuation order in the supplied information.
The specific outposts covered by the reported order and the timing of any evacuation were not identified.
The claim that US pressure prompted the order was attributed to Ynet and was not independently confirmed in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .