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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Israel Evicts West Bank Squatters, Frees 115 Prisoners

Associated Press

Hundreds of Israeli police swept through houses occupied by Jewish squatters in this West Bank settlement on Monday, evicting dozens of people.

Israel also freed 115 Palestinian prisoners on Monday in a final round of releases before Palestinian general elections scheduled this weekend.

The houses, taken over by Jewish settlers last year, are to be used as a base for Israeli troops after they withdraw from the nearby Palestinian town of Hebron in March.

The previous Likud government had built the neighborhood during its campaign to populate the West Bank with Jewish settlers.

But the current Labor government ordered the homes to remain empty under its curb on construction of Jewish settlements, which have hindered peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

After warning the squatters last week, police surrounded the homes Monday and dragged off squatters.

The paramilitary border police plan a similar raid on the West Bank neighborhood of Ashmoret Yitzhak, authorities said.