The Israeli Supreme Court today rejected a bid by Jewish settlers to overturn the Gaza Strip pull-out plan.

Ten of the 11 judges rejected the cases which contested the legality of the withdrawal and compensation to settlers. Under the evacuation law all 8,000 Gaza settlers, as well as the residents of four small Jewish enclaves in the northern West Bank, will be uprooted this summer.

The petitions were brought by hundreds of settlers, as well as the owners of businesses in an industrial zone straddling the border between Israel and Gaza which also faces closure.

The court said the levels of compensation were "adequate" but ordered that the minimum age for settlers to receive compensation be lowered from 21 to 18.

The widely expected decision removes yet another possible hurdle to the pull-out which is due to start in mid-August.

Yoram Sheftel, an attorney for the settlers, said he was not surprised by the court’s ruling. "We didn’t expect anything from this court since the petitioners

are Jews and patriots," Mr Sheftel was quoted as saying by the Haaretz website. "This was fully expected. There’s no surprise. I’m not disappointed because we didn’t have any expectations."

Times Recommends

• A track to Shangri-La: Bhutan gets first rail link
• Avatar takings hit $600m in ten days
• Bomb disposal squad is Times’s Team of the Year