Quds city, May 24, SPA -- Israel's defense minister says nearly two dozen West Bank settlement outposts will be torn down with force, if necessary. Ehud Barak made the comments Sunday, days after Israeli forces removed one such outpost, according to a report of Associated Press. For years, Israel has promised the United States to remove unauthorized outposts in the West Bank, but has taken little action. The Obama administration is putting heavy pressure on Israel to halt settlement activity. Ahead of the government's weekly Cabinet meeting, Barak said he will try to persuade settlers in the outposts to leave peacefully. But if that fails, he said he would not rule out the use of force.
