 According to the state, while Giv'at Asaf had originally been deemed problematic, the land on which it sat had since been purchased.In response, the US State Department said the US would not "accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity" and that "continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace".In May 2014, settlers dismantled four homes in the outpost built on private Palestinian property in accordance with a High Court of Justice order issued in response to a 2007 petition by Peace Now.