Israel Evicts 200 in Palestinian 'Peace Camp'

The battle over proposed Jewish settlements heated up today as Israeli forces uprooted Palestinian activists who had staked tents on a hillside east of Jerusalem, the Guardian reports. The activists say a military force encircled their camp at about 3am and arrested all 200 of them, injuring six in the process. The activists claim to have set up camp in the so-called E1 corridor—a 5-mile swath earmarked for Israeli settlements—with the permission of Palestinian landowners.

Before the raid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the area a military zone and ordered Israel's Supreme Court to overturn an injunction protecting the activists. In other Israeli news, Netanyahu is still expected to win next week's general election, but his conservative Likud party is polling with as few as 32 seats and may have only a minority government, Global Post reports. Also, Britain and France are planning to table a new Middle East peace process in March that would include a Palestinian state with a capital in east Jerusalem, reports the Telegraph. (More Israel stories.)