Israel

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The third, Mitzpeh Yitzhar, was dismantled amid widely televised struggles between 1,200 soldiers and hundreds of settlers. The settlement's security guards now prevent journalists from visiting the site of the destroyed outpost, but residents say cheerfully that it is being rebuilt.



"It's getting bigger and bigger; even the soldiers are helping them build it," said a resident, Michal Ben Avraham. She endorsed the ban on media. "We don't want any news coverage. We just want to do this modestly," she said.



Similar improvements have been made to the outposts around Beit El, a settlement that almost merges with suburbs of the Palestinian city of Ramallah. While the government has vowed to dismantle Beit El's outposts, the tourism ministry gave the settlement $40,000 to build a promenade from the town to its outpost at Givat Artis. At the end of the promenade, which was begun three months ago, is a water tower that commands a spectacular view of much of Israel and the West Bank.