Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered some illegal outposts in the West Bank dismantled, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed on Sunday, amid pressure from the US to crack down on violent settlers.

According to a Reuters report, Netanyahu ordered the evictions in response to Washington’s pressure. The High Court of Justice on Sunday also assailed the government, Israel Defense Forces, and police for their failure to quell the attacks, though two arrests were made over an incident in the Nablus-area Palestinian town of Qusra.

The outposts are considered illegal under Israeli law, as they’re established without all of the necessary permits — however, most of them receive varying degrees of government support and funding, and some have later been formally recognized.

The state has from time to time demolished some outposts, but they are often rebuilt immediately after being demolished, and previous government decisions to crack down on the phenomenon have not been widely enforced.

The Ynet news site reported that Netanyahu’s order targeted around 100 outposts across the West Bank.

Smotrich, asked at a conference in Jerusalem about that report, said Netanyahu had given “an instruction to evict places built in Areas A and B,” referring to parts of the West Bank meant to be under full or partial Palestinian Authority control.

The effort to crack down on Area B outposts, however, was reportedly not new, as it was part of a government decision in April, according to the Ma’ariv outlet.

In addition to the lack of clarity over when the operation was ordered, it was also not immediately clear when it would begin. The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the reports.

Two settlers, including soldier, arrested over Qusra attack

In a rare occurrence, two West Bank settlers, including an 18-year-old IDF soldier from the Jordan Valley, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of taking part in an August 29 attack in Qusra.

The attack, which occurred weeks into a siege by settlers on several homes in Qusra, saw settlers seize a Palestinian home with a family inside.

Officers who searched the car of one of the suspects, a 19-year-old from the northern West Bank, found a knife, a switchblade, and tear gas, according to police.

The two suspects were........

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