Israeli police officers and IDF soldiers dismantled seven illegal encampments across the West Bank overnight. The seven sites, established by far-right militants and settlers, included three in the Samaria district in the north of the West Bank, two in the Binyamin district and two in the Judea region in the south of the West Bank.

The Nahala settlement group had been preparing to set up the outposts for several months, collecting some five million shekels and organizing conferences and meetings in homes of activists. The project was designed to embarrass then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his pro-settler Yamina party, which is part of the coalition.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Tuesday that he had instructed security officers to prevent the establishment of the outposts. In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the Israeli police force and the IDF said they were “working to prevent the establishment of illegal outposts” in several locations, adding that the head of IDF Central Command had issued closure orders for the sites in question.

Yesterday thousands of activists arrived at the locations in buses, most of them young people but also families with children. Clashes erupted during the night and this morning in the vicinity of the Barkan settlement. The activists claimed three people were hurt in altercations with security forces. Reportedly, 11 activists were detained for a few hours by security forces.