Hundreds of Israeli riot police dragged squatters from the ruins of an illegal Jewish settlement on Wednesday, ending a 3-day showdown with Israeli Jews reoccupying a Palestinian area of the West Bank. The former Homesh settlement was dismantled in 2005 in Israel's unilateral pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, but on Monday some 2,500 protesters marched to the ruins, pledging to rebuild. Over 300 remained when police moved in and forcibly carried to buses those not leaving voluntarily. The squatters promised to return.

While removing the Homesh squatters, the Israeli government has shown far less resolve in evacuating settlers who have set up dozens of unauthorized settlement outposts on occupied Palestinian territory in the past decade. Israel had promised, as part of the US-backed “road map” peace plan, to evacuate many of the outposts, but has failed to do so. Also, construction continues in large settlements just across Israel’s boundary with Palestine, despite Israel's promise to freeze expansion.

Main Source: Associated Press