Israeli residents living in the Amona Israeli outpost are being forced to evacuate because the land is private Palestinian property, Haaretz reports.
The Israeli government isn't likely to fare any better by moving them to another plot of land on the West Bank, though – it also is owned by Palestinians.
Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered the outpost vacated by December 25, a move that will cost $13 million and is only said to be a temporary fix to the issue. The settlers can stay on the new plot of land for only eight months.
Residents sent a protest letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after the injunction, saying it wasn't smart "that the state would spend 50 million shekels on this, for eight months, after which Amona's residents will be expelled yet again."
"The State of Israel will have left behind people who have been expelled twice, wasted 50 million shekels and scarred a mountain," the letter said.
A police investigation in late November revealed that the Amona outpost was obtained through forged documents by its settlers. So the high court ordered them out. The area is protected by Israeli soldiers, the same ones who will likely handle the eviction.
Israel has built about 120 settlements in what has been deemed Palestinian land, posts that are deemed illegal by other world leaders.
Americans for Peace Now, an organization that promotes peace between Israel and the Palestinians, said the evacuation needs to be halted.
"The Israeli government is replacing one land theft by another," it said in a statement. "It is willing to crush basic rights of Palestinians, bend Israeli law and violate international law — all in order to satisfy 41 families who knowingly settled on private Palestinian lands. If approved, this temporary solution will quickly turn into another permanent new settlement on private Palestinian lands."