Defense Minister Amir Peretz decided Thursday that Jewish settlers must leave a disputed house in the West Bank city of Hebron, but gave no deadline for their evacuation. Peretz added that government legal advisers would now have to determine the legal process for evacuating the settlers.

Implementation of Peretz's order was now in the hands of the legal advisers and could take weeks or more, a Defense Ministry official said.

The settlers moved into the house in an Arab neighborhood of Hebron on March 19, claiming to have purchased it from its Palestinians owners.

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The legal status of the four-story building has yet to be clarified, but Peretz ordered the settlers to leave because they had not received the Defense Ministry's permission, the official said.

Peretz decided that the question of the legality of the purchase is irrelevant, since the settlers did not ask for approval to inhabit the property as they should have according to the regulations, the official said.

Security officials said in response to Peretz's remarks that at this point, the Israel Defense Forces has not been given a detailed timtable for evacuation. They added that Peretz had expressed opposition to the settlers' assumption of the house numerous times in recent weeks, but had not ordered action.

Although the decision for evacuation officially falls under the defense minister's portfolio, Peertz will likely need to coordinate the evacuation process with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

In a text message sent to journalists, the Yesha Council of Settlements, which represents the settlers, said it would fight the decision.

Hebron, a frequent flashpoint for tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, is home to about 500 Jewish settlers living in heavily-guarded enclaves among some 160,000 Palestinians.