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Members of the Israeli security forces remove a caravan that settlers had brought to the former outpost of Amona in the West Bank, following clashes between settlers and policemen, on Jan. 3, 2019. A total of 23 policemen were injured in clashes with Israeli settlers that erupted amidst the evacuation of illegal settlement structures in the West Bank on Thursday, Israeli police said. The clashes began early on Thursday morning as police forces arrived at Amona, an illegal outpost which was evacuated and demolished under a court order in 2017, after settlers rebuilt makeshift structures at the site. (Xinhua/JINI)
JERUSALEM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 23 policemen were injured in clashes with Israeli settlers that erupted amidst the evacuation of illegal settlement structures in the West Bank on Thursday, Israeli police said.
The clashes began early on Thursday morning as police forces arrived at Amona, an illegal outpost which was evacuated and demolished under a court order in 2017, after settlers rebuilt makeshift structures at the site.
Dozens of settler activists entrenched themselves overnight inside the buildings to resist the eviction.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said that some 300 pro-settler activists "were involved in disturbances with police when stones and oil were thrown at them at the time of the evacuation."
A border police spokesperson said in a statement that the forces were met with "very severe violence from dozens of rioters who threw stones, burned tires and threw iron bars."
Rosenfeld said that the police "responded using non-lethal weapons in order to deal with the disturbances at the scene." The eviction was completed after several hours of clashes and 23 policemen were injured.
Seven people were arrested, Rosenfeld said, adding that arrests will be continue.
Amona was an outpost built in 1995 without permits from Israeli authorities. Israel's Supreme Court ruled it should be evicted because it was unlawfully built on private Palestinian lands.
The government offered Amona's 42 families to relocate to a new settlement built especially for them on a nearby hill. The government-sponsored settlement was inaugurated in March 2018.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war and has kept its control over the territories despite international criticism. The settlements are illegal under international law and are considered an obstacle to peace.
