Israeli Forces Clash with Residents as they Raze Settler Outpost

Israeli forces razed a settler outpost near the West Bank oasis town of Jericho early on Thursday, sparking clashes with residents, a police spokesman said.

Three policemen were lightly injured and three settlers arrested during the operation to remove Sela Bracha, an outpost of six wooden huts in the Jordan Valley, spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

"Three policemen who had to climb onto the roof of one of the six illegally built wooden structures to get a settler who was refusing to be evacuated were lightly injured when the roof collapsed," Rosenfeld said.

He said three settlers, including the one who had climbed onto the roof, were arrested for attacking police.

Israeli public radio said six settlers had been injured in the operation, and that police had also taken down a tent in a second outpost, without saying where it was or whether there were clashes.

Last week, police evacuated another unauthorized outpost made up of 10 wooden huts in the southern West Bank, just north of the Kiryat Arba settlement.

Israel considers settlement outposts built without government approval to be illegal and often sends security personnel to demolish them. They usually consist of little more than a few trailers.

The international community considers all settlements built in the West Bank -- including east Jerusalem -- to be illegal.