Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- Israeli police evicted 15 Jewish settlers from a an illegally occupied house in the restive West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday following a weeklong showdown between the settler community and Israel 's Defense Ministry , which administers the occupied territory . `` We are determined to make sure that the rule of law and the authority of the state of Israel over all its citizens will be assured . When there is a violation , it will be put back to track , '' Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters shortly after the operation and explained that `` the house was taken over by citizens against the law . '' The men , women and children were removed without any violent resistance , police said . About two dozen settlers moved into the Hebron house in the middle of the night last Thursday , claiming they had legally purchased it from a Palestinian man . But Palestinian authorities , including Hebron police Chief Ramadan Awad , disputed that the purchase was made legally . `` Our investigation shows no evidence that the house was sold to settlers by Palestinians , '' Awad told CNN . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Wednesday that tried to strike a balance between demands from the settlement-supporting members of his governing coalition and the laws regulating settlement growth . `` We strengthen the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria and we strengthen it in Hebron , the city of our fathers , '' he said , using the biblical term for the West Bank . `` But there is one principle we maintain : We do all that while abiding the law and will continue to do so . '' Imad Hamdan , general director of the Hebron rehabilitation committee of the Old City of Hebron , said the eviction process will help to reduce tensions . `` I believe this is a good step forward , '' he said . Hamdan said that if the settlers appeal the eviction , `` we are going to go against them and we will prove the ownership of this building to whom it belongs . They have evicted the settlers from the house , but they have not removed any furniture or belongings of the settlers that they have been bringing into the house since they have illegally moved in , '' Hamdan said . Responding to those claims , Barak stressed that the facts `` will be checked according to the legal standards by the proper authorities . '' On Monday , the Israeli Defense Ministry , citing the absence of required paperwork and prior notification , ordered the settlers to move out of the home by Tuesday afternoon or be subject to forcible eviction . Hebron is the largest and most contested city in the West Bank . It is home to more than 180,000 Palestinians and several hundred Jewish settlers who live in an enclave protected by the Israeli military . Movement for Palestinians in the area is extremely limited . The city , which is believed to be the biblical burial site of Abraham , is home to the religious holy site known as the Cave of the Patriarch to Jews and the Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslims . Relations between Israelis and Palestinians living in Hebron have been marked by years of hostility and tension that have frequently erupted into violence . Netanyahu asked Barak on Monday to postpone the eviction to allow the settlers to present their legal case , but Barak ordered the operation to go ahead . The eviction triggered an immediate wave of criticism from many members of Netanyahu 's coalition who have become increasingly critical of Barak 's continued role in the government . `` Defense Minister Ehud Barak is dragging the entire government into direct confrontation with the settlers , '' said Danny Danon , the outspoken deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset , or parliament , and Likud party member . `` Netanyahu must replace Barak without delay . He is running a failed political campaign on the account of the settlers . We will not give up and will pursue legal proceedings to allow the acquisition of the house , '' he told CNN . The eviction followed an announcement from Netanyahu on Wednesday seeking to legalize construction in the West Bank settlements of Bruchin , Sansana and Rechalim . Further development on the three West Bank outposts has been banned , according to settlement watchdog group Peace Now , because they have been built on private Palestinian land . Netanyahu also asked his attorney general to develop a legal solution that would prevent the planned destruction of housing units in the West Bank settlement of Beit El . The Israeli government is under court order to demolish the houses built in the settlement by May 1 of this year . Danon welcomed the decision and said : `` These houses were built under the consent and sponsoring of the government , there is no reason to demolish them . '' The eviction comes as the Israeli government announced that Netanyahu will meet with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad next week in an effort to restart direct negotiations . In retribution for the eviction , Hamdan added , Israeli settlers from Tel Rumeida in the old city of Hebron burned a tent that was set up by Palestinian activists in protest of the taking over of the house . No one was injured . A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces told CNN that `` the structure will remain closed off until all the legal issues will be determined . '' CNN 's Guy Azriel , Kareem Khadder and Kevin Flower contributed to this report .
NEW : PM wants to strike balance between financial backers , laws on settlement growth . Hebron is the most contested city in the West Bank . Official says eviction will help ease tensions and is ` ` a good step forward '' The eviction came amid upcoming Netanyahu - Fayyad talks .