Israel's minister of strategic affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday to take action against illegal Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria.

Lieberman issued the challenge following a government meeting on Sunday where the forced removal of dozens of unauthorized Jewish outposts was mulled.

“Palestinian construction is equivalent to unauthorized outposts,” Lieberman wrote in a letter to Olmert obtained by Army Radio.

The minister further noted that the “illegal Palestinian construction is along the bypass roads in Judea and Sameria, which endangers the lives of Jewish residents.”

Palestinian construction in areas listed as “disputed” in their peace agreements with Israel is believed to far outstrip unauthorized Israeli building. Most Arab towns along highways in Judea and Samaria are full of half-finished or empty apartment buildings constructed without proper permits or agreement from the Israeli authorities.