Israeli Outpost - Characteristics of An Outpost

Characteristics of An Outpost

The population of outposts generally numbers between a few and some 400 people and they are usually composed of modular homes, such as caravans. However, they can also be further developed, having more permanent housing as well as "paved roads, bus stops, synagogues and playgrounds."

According to the 2005 Sasson Report, there are four principal characteristics of an unauthorized outpost:

1. There was no government decision to establish it, and in any case no authorized political echelon approved its establishment.
2. The outpost was established with no legal planning status. Meaning, with no valid detailed plan governing the area it was established upon, which can support a building permit.
3. An unauthorized outpost is not attached to an existing settlement, but rather at least a few hundred meters distant from it as the crow flies.
4. The outpost was established in the nineties, mostly from the mid nineties and on.

Sasson defines an outpost as a (unauthorized) settlement not attached to an existing settlement. If attached, it is regarded as an unauthorized neighborhood. Moreover, outposts can be built either within or beyond the officially determined municipal boundaries. Although the Israeli government acknowledges that settlements built on land privately owned by Palestinians are illegal, it usually provides them with military defense, access to public utilities, and other infrastructure.