Jerusalem: A deal to evacuate a hardline Jewish outpost that has become a symbol of Israel's occupation of the West Bank was in jeopardy yesterday ahead of a February 8 deadline to remove it.
Settlers in the Amona outpost of some 40 families and which was built on Palestinian land accused the government of not living up to the terms of a deal reached in December that would see them moved nearby.
Palestinian landowners also filed a petition to the Israeli high court yesterday with further objections to the government's relocation plans, said rights group Yesh Din, which is representing them.
Beyond that, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff Yoav Horowitz reportedly told ministers from his Likud party on Sunday that the deal could not be implemented because of legal complications.
The lack of a clear solution has once again raised the possibility of a forced evacuation of the Amona settlers by the Israeli government and fears that violence could result.
"Right now we're dealing with the fact that the government and officials lied," said Eli Greenberg, an Amona resident and spokesman for the outpost.
