Barak Vows Force if Settlers Don’t Leave

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak warned settlers that he would send in soldiers to dismantle illegal West Bank outposts if they were not cleared out by Saturday, Israel Radio reported. Barak’s decision came a day after he returned from meetings with Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and President Clinton in Oslo designed to jump-start talks for a final peace treaty. Barak had struck a deal with the settlers in which he agreed to legalize three outposts if they voluntarily dismantled 12 others. Yehoshua Mor-Yossef, a spokesman for the settlers, said they need time to honor the bargain. “It should be remembered that the present stage of the agreement entails moving families to new locations, an operation which calls for sensitivity and consideration,” he said.