Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet Wednesday he is seeking to legalize four illegal settler outposts built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank.

Netanyahu told his ministers at a cabinet meeting Wednesday morning that he had asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to find a solution to the controversial Ulpana neighborhood in the settlement of Bet El that will prevent the demolition of five buildings there.

"I would like to inform the ministers about two things. First, I asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to find a solution for the Ulpana neighborhood that would obviate the need for demolition. Second, it is my intention to submit to the cabinet soon, with the recommendation of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the necessary permits for providing for the status of the communities of Bruchin, Sansana and Rechalim," he said.

His comments came as Israeli soldiers evicted the Jewish occupants from a disputed house in the West Bank city of Hebron. Netanyahu earlier decided together with Barak and a small group of ministers that the Hebron house would be evacuated by the end of April.

It is not immediately known whether there is connection between the eviction and Netanyahu's efforts to legalize the four settler outposts in the West Bank. Israeli media reports speculated legalizing the four unauthorized outposts could be a compensation for the evacuation of the Hebron home.

The Ulpana neighborhood in Bet El was built from 2002 to 2008 on land purchased from Palestinians in 2000, but the paper work was later judged to be unauthentic and the structures there -- which house some 30 apartments -- were scheduled for demolition in April.

Israeli settlement construction is a major obstacle to peacemaking with the Palestinians.