Ramallah, March 11 (Petra) – Israel said on Wednesday a new settlement outpost was set up near the city of Nablus in the north of the occupied West Bank.

The outpost, named Mount Ebal, was established overnight in an operation that was described by Israeli media as "complex and secretive," part of a scheme to raise the number of Jewish settlers in the area.

The Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported that dozens of trucks brought in prefabricated housing units that were installed at the site, and that access roads were also constructed for connection to existing infrastructure.

The Mount Ebal outpost is within a list of 22 settlements previously approved by the Israeli government, with the aim of boosting the presence of settlers and altering the demographic balance in the northern West Bank, according to the daily.

Also in the West Bank, the Israeli occupation army launched widespread search-and-arrest raids across Palestinian towns and villages and occupied Jerusalem, and detained about 50 "wanted" people.

//Petra//SS