MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Ahead of the dismantlement of the Amona settlement in late January, residents signed an agreement with the Israeli government, stipulating that a new settlement, in a location of their choosing, would be provided for them. Last week the evacuees reportedly voted to move to the unauthorized West Bank Geulat Tzion outpost. However, a report by Channel 2 on Thursday claimed that Netanyahu was reconsidering his obligations, after Trump advised delaying settlement construction in order to reach a deal with Palestine.
"The government is obligated to the agreement signed with the Amona residents and there is no intention to break it. A new settlement for the residents of Amona will be established as we promised," Shaked wrote on Twitter, as quoted by the Times of Israel newspaper.
הממשלה מחוייבת להסכם שנחתם מול תושבי עמונה ואין לנו שום כוונה להפר אותו. יוקם ישוב חדש לתושבי עמונה כפי שהתחייבנו.
— איילת שקד (@Ayelet__Shaked) February 17, 2017
On February 1, Israeli instructed a special team to look into the possible locations in the West Bank for a new settlement.
About 500,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to United Nations figures. According to resolution 2334 of the United Nations Security Council, adopted on December 23, 2016, Israel must cease all settlement activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as these activities violate international law. Israel, in response has continued authorizing the construction of further settlements, and on February 6, Israel’s parliament passed a law legalizing almost 4,000 Israeli housing units to be built on privately owned Palestinian land.
