Israel on Wednesday renewed its vow to tear down some unauthorized Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank - a day after an anti-settlement group said dozens of existing ones had been expanded.

"The issue of illegal outposts is one this government is committed to," government spokeswoman Miri Eisen said at a new conference with foreign journalists. "The illegal outposts will be removed."

Israel is required to take down about 100 outposts - many of them just a few trailers on West Bank hilltops - according to terms of the internationally-backed road map peace plan that envisions a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The three-stage plan, first presented in 2003, has never been implemented.

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Eisen declined to put a timeline on the removal, only saying it would start in earnest some time after the Jewish holiday season ends on Oct. 16. From time to time Israel tears down outposts, but many are quickly rebuilt.

On Tuesday, Peace Now reported that settlers have expanded 31 unauthorized outposts since January and built permanent structures in 12 of them.

The demolition of the outposts has been a point of contention in relations with the Palestinians and the Jewish settlers, hoping to prevent a the establishment of a Palestinian state, began building them more than a decade ago to break up Palestinian territories.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz recently ordered 45 outpost structures in the West Bank to be razed, but nothing has been done yet.

At the news conference, hosted by the Foreign Press Association, Eisen also said that Israel's priorities regarding the West Bank pullout have "changed" after the recent war in Lebanon with Hezbollah guerrillas Olmert was elected in January on a "realignment" platform, pledging a unilateral withdrawal from much of the West Bank. But Eisen said
the government was now "reassessing realignment."

Eisen said Israel would not negotiate with Syria despite a second overture by Syrian President Bashar Assad. Eisen said Israel refuses to negotiate with countries, like Syria and Iran, which sponsor terrorists and provide them safe haven.

She noted, however, that Israel was always willing to reach out to more moderate Arab governments. Israel has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.

"Extending a hand to additional moderate Arab countries is something that this government is interested in doing," she said.