Israel seeks more time to dismantle illegal West Bank settlement

The Israeli government has asked the Supreme Court to delay the dismantling of an illegal Jewish settlement enclave in the West Bank for seven months. [caption id=“attachment_355430” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Jewish settlers wave Israeli flags during a protest against the proposed decision to evacuate a West Bank outpost: AP”]  [/caption]The government had pledged to evict the two dozen families living in the Givat Assaf settlement outpost by July 1. The outpost was built without official authorization and was constructed on privately held Palestinian land. Israel considers this illegal, even as it approves construction on other captured territory. In its petition to the court, the government says it has “significant new information” about Givat Assaf that requires exploring. It did not elaborate. But the Maariv newspaper reported Sunday that the military has discovered old documents that contradict Palestinian claims to owning the land. The Palestinians want all of the West Bank for their future state. Associated Press