Israeli forces dismantle outpost in north West Bank

Israeli forces took down four trailers at an illegal settlement outpost in the northern West Bank on early Monday, with Palestinian officials warning of potential revenge acts against locals. Troops removed the structures at Givat Gal Yoseph outpost near the government-sanctioned Shilo settlement, which lies on the main passageway between Ramallah and Nablus, settler-affiliated website Arutz Sheva reported. Hundreds of Israeli settlers gathered at the Beit El military base near Ramallah late Sunday to protest the take-down, witnesses told Ma'an. Ghassan Doughlas, the PA official monitoring settlements in the northern West Bank, urged Palestinians to take care on the Ramallah-Nablus highway, warning of revenge acts. Extremist settlers have launched a campaign of "price tag" attacks, targeting Palestinians and their property in retaliation for perceived anti-settler actions by the Israeli government. Settler attacks in the West Bank against Palestinians increased by more than 50 percent in 2011, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Likud-led coalition government has sought to calm violent confrontation with radical settlers after an Israeli high court ruled against a number of outposts in August, calling for a delay to the court order. The international community regards all settlements built on occupied land to be illegal, while the Israel government distinguishes between the more than 100 state-sponsored settlements and dozens of unauthorized outposts.