Middle East

Settlers agree to evacuate West Bank Amona outpost

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Jewish settlers eat their lunch in Amona, an unauthorized Israeli outpost in the West Bank, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. Jewish settlers say they have accepted a government proposal to evacuate the outpost and move to a nearby location. Israel's Supreme Court has determined that the Amona outpost was built on private Palestinian land and has ordered the government to tear down the outpost's 50 trailer homes. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) (The Associated Press)

Jewish settlers gather around a synagogue in Amona, an unauthorized Israeli outpost in the West Bank, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. Jewish settlers say they have accepted a government proposal to evacuate the outpost and move to a nearby location. Israel's Supreme Court has determined that the Amona outpost was built on private Palestinian land and has ordered the government to tear down the outpost's 50 trailer homes. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) (The Associated Press)

Jewish settlers gather at a synagogue in Amona, an unauthorized Israeli outpost in the West Bank, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. Jewish settlers say they have accepted a government proposal to evacuate the outpost and move to a nearby location. Israel's Supreme Court has determined that the Amona outpost was built on private Palestinian land and has ordered the government to tear down the outpost's 50 trailer homes. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) (The Associated Press)

Jewish settlers in an unauthorized West Bank outpost say they have accepted an Israeli government proposal to evacuate the outpost.

Amona settlers said Sunday they accepted Israel's promise to build 52 homes and public buildings for them at a nearby location.

Young activists had gathered at the outpost in recent days, vowing to violently resist a forced evacuation.

Israel's Supreme Court has determined that the Amona outpost was built on private Palestinian land and ordered the government to tear down the outpost's 50 trailer homes by this Dec. 25.

Amona is the largest of about 100 unauthorized outposts erected in the West Bank without permission but generally tolerated by the Israeli government.

Netanyahu said the government had "done the maximum" to find a solution for the settlers of Amona.