Israel starts dismantling settler outposts

ISRAELI troops began dismantling an uninhabited West Bank settlement outpost yesterday, taking a first step toward meeting part of its obligations under a US-backed peace plan.

The outpost is one of dozens dotting isolated hills in the West Bank whose removal is called for by the "road map" to Palestinian statehood by 2005.

But Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing growing opposition from his constituents, has been evasive about whether he would remove all outposts targeted in the plan.