Israel will likely begin a crackdown on Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank when U.S. President George W. Bush visits the region next week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s top deputy said on Friday. The outposts, clusters of caravans or shacks erected without state approval, and the expansion of existing settlements are obstacles to Bush’s bid to revive peace talks before he steps down. A U.S.-sponsored “road map” for a Palestinian state next to Israel requires the removal of outposts and a halt to all settlement growth. “I hope and assess that in the coming period and thereafter, during the U.S. president’s visit to Israel and afterwards, real steps will be taken to remove those outposts,” Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio. Full Story
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