Israel evacuates W. Bank settlers

"This is a black day for us," said Amir Dana, a father of five, as cranes lifted furniture out of the homes. "This is a moral and legal injustice, but we're peaceful people. None of us wanted a fight among brothers and a confrontation with police and soldiers."

Like the other evacuees, Dana wore a black T-shirt that said, "Expelled from my home. We'll be back."

The scenes contrasted sharply with previous evictions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in which settlers put up passive or active resistance. The Ulpana settlers, who are religiously observant, said they complied with the directive of a prominent rabbi at Beit El, Zalman Melamed, who counseled them to avoid a violent confrontation.

Militant settlers who have violently resisted other evictions were not in evidence Tuesday at Beit El, although vandals torched a mosque in a Palestinian village this month, leaving behind graffiti promising "war" over the Ulpana eviction. Some families said they would have to be carried out when their turn for evacuation came later this week.

Netanyahu, who reluctantly complied with the court order and blocked a bill sponsored by right-wing legislators to retroactively legalize building on private Palestinian land, has promised to construct 300 additional homes in Beit El to compensate for the evacuation.