West Bank ( CNN ) -- Hundreds of Israeli police swarmed a makeshift Palestinian protest camp early Sunday morning , taking dozens of activists into custody for questioning before releasing them later . The operation marked the latest saga in the bitter back-and-forth over Israel 's settlement activity in the West Bank . The camp , which protesters dubbed Bab Alshams , sprung up Thursday , in a roughly 12-square kilometer ( 5-square mile ) area Israel has dubbed E1 . In recent weeks , Israel has signaled its intention to construct settlements in the area . Some international leaders have criticized such a plan , as have Palestinian leaders who say it would slice the West Bank in two , cutting it off from the proposed Palestinian capital of East Jerusalem . Q & A : Inside Israel 's planned settlement . Mid-day Friday , Israeli authorities gave the protesters 24 hours to leave the site , according to Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld . Israel 's high court issued an order for the activists ' evacuation late Saturday night . `` The notices were given out to all the activists here that they were trespassing , '' Rosenfeld said . Shortly after midnight , more than 500 police officers descended on Bab Alshams to carry out the evacuation order . More than 60 protesters were taken into custody . Around 5 a.m. Sunday ( 10 p.m . ET Saturday ) , all those detained had been released , said activist Abir Kopty . Six protesters were injured when officers punched them in the face , according to the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee , the organizers of the Bab Alshams protest camp . `` Even though we were evicted , our strength was apparent since the police needed hundreds and hundreds of special unit police officers , '' the organizers said . `` This is not the end of the popular struggle and it will continue in its full strength . '' Rosenfeld denied there were injuries . `` People were taken out carefully one by one , '' he said . The protest camp -- consisting of chanting activists and tents dotting an otherwise barren hilltop -- sprung up due to Israel 's recently announced plans to build 3,000 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank . Construction in the E1 would be an expansion of Ma'ale Adumim , one of Israel 's largest West Bank settlements which already has about 40,000 people . `` We are taking back this area , that is private Palestinian land , and building our own village , '' said activist Irene Nasser . `` We can just look over ( at other Israeli settlements ) and see what this land might potentially look like , if we do n't actually ( take ) things into our own hands . '' Ma'ale Adumim 's Mayor Benny Kashriel has cheered this possibility , saying , `` This place , this residential neighborhood , it is in the Ma'ale Adumim municipality , part of ... government land . '' But many internationally have condemned further expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank , of which there are 137 ( with about 325,000 residents ) , according to the settlement monitoring group Peace Now . Numerous countries -- including Britain , Denmark , France , Spain , Sweden , Australia and Egypt -- summoned Israel 's ambassador to hear criticism of the decision , announced late last year , to move forward with the settlement plans . Israel defies international criticism of settlement plans . The Palestinians ' chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said such a settlement will dash any hopes of a `` two-state solution '' -- with Israel and an independent Palestinian nation , living together in peace . `` There is no chance for a Palestinian state , '' Erakat has said . `` Anyone who looks at the map , looks at the geography will know exactly that this decision means there is no more two-state solution . '' CNN 's Kareem Khadder reported this story from the West Bank and Greg Botelho wrote it from Atlanta . CNN 's Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report .
Palestinian activists set up a protest village in an area slated for Israeli settlement . Israeli authorities ordered them to leave ; police executed that order early Sunday . More than 60 activists were taken into custody , then later released , police say . Critical Palestinian leaders say the settlements would cut the West Bank in two .