Divisions have become apparent in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s extremist government, with an argument over the destruction of an illegal settlement outpost in the Palestinian Territory of the West Bank straining the recently formed coalition.

In December, Netanyahu declared his intention to grow settlements in the West Bank while recovering his position as head of the most far-right government in the Israeli occupation history.

A disagreement about the implementation of policy came to light last month when the Israeli occupation forces was sent in by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to take down Or Haim, an illegal settlement in the northern West Bank.

Despite its unlawfulness, two far–right cabinet members, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Public Security Minister Itamar Ben–Gvir, expressed their opposition to the dismantling of the outpost.

Ben–Gvir declared that the same laws should be applicable to both Arabs and Jews, emphasizing the necessity of demolishing Palestinian constructions in the West Bank.

Ben–Gvir is in charge of the border police force located in the West Bank, while Smotrich has taken on the responsibility of managing civil matters in the Palestinian region.

The demolition of the Or Haim outpost, which only consisted of a few rudimentary buildings, suggests rifts within the coalition.