Israeli police push to evict illegal settlers from synagogue

Tel Aviv: Israeli police on Thursday continued their push to evict settlers from the illegal Jewish settlement of Amona in the West Bank, where youths were resisting at a synagogue, a media report said.

Agents forcefully entered the residence of the leader of a group resisting eviction from the settlement, Efe news reported.

Meanwhile, protesting settlers blocked the doors and windows to the synagogue to prevent police from entering it.

Police were allowing entry to the place of worship to some young men so they could pray there for the last time.

Yair Frank, a rabbi from the settlement, told the local Ynet news site he had spoken to the security forces to calm the situation and prevent the young people from being hurt.

The operation to evict the settlers of Amona began on Wednesday, following a 2014 Israeli Supreme Court ruling that declared the settlement illegal as it was located on privately owned Palestinian land.

About 3,000 security forces members had been on site early Wednesday to begin the eviction.

Police said 24 agents were injured in clashes.

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a task-force would be set up to speed up the search for an alternative settlement location for those evicted.