Israeli Cabinet extends deadline for settlers to leave outpost

The Israeli Cabinet, ignoring the opinion of its legal advisers, extended for five weeks the deadline for clearing Jewish settlers off an illegal outpost on a rocky hill on the occupied West Bank. The militant Gush Emunim settlement organzation, whose members occupy the Elon Moreh outpost that was declared illegal by the Supreme Court Oct. 22, welcomed the Sunday postponement as a "positive" decision.

But the settlers insisted they still would only agree to leave their temporary mobile homes when the government declared that the West Bank and Gaza Strip are no longer occupied territories -- paving the way for more Jewish settlements in the region.