The process turns the outposts into recognized settlements — by the State of Israel, not the international community, which by and large views all settlements as illegal — with formal and legal municipal boundaries, albeit ones with illegally built homes and other structures, since they were constructed years ago without an approved masterplan or construction permits.
The three outposts, Avigayil, Asahel and Beit Hoglah, are on a list of nine such outposts approved for legalization by the government in February, as part of promises made to the far-right Religious Zionism party in coalition agreements. READ MORE