IDF orders demolition of Palestinian Beduin village

Israeli authorities on Sunday issued demolition orders against 44 illegal structures in the Palestinian and Beduin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Updated: MARCH 7, 2017 00:36
Dwellings belongings to Bedouin are seen in al-Khan al-Ahmar village near the West Bank city of Jericho February 23, 2017 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Dwellings belongings to Bedouin are seen in al-Khan al-Ahmar village near the West Bank city of Jericho February 23, 2017
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians are planning the second legal challenge in less than a month to prevent the demolition of the illegal herding village of al-Khan al-Ahmar, possibly as early as next week.
On Sunday, the Civil Administration issued demolition orders against 44 illegal structures in the Palestinian and Beduin village of tents and shacks that is located off of Route 1, near the West Bank settlement of Kfar Adumim.
The village’s attorney Shlomo Lecker said on Monday that the villagers were given seven days to leave their homes. He is planning to appeal the decision to the High Court of Justice, having already attempted to contest the matter with the Civil Administration.
Lecker clarified that with the exception of one building, the demolition orders do not include the small regional school in the village, which is already the subject of a High Court of Justice petition. A decision on the school is unlikely to be issued before the end of the school year.
The United Nations, the European Union and the Palestinian Authority have all called on Israel not to destroy the village and the school.
Last week, the EU heads of mission from Jerusalem and Ramallah as well as PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited the school and the village, which is located in Area C of the West Bank.
“We call upon the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government in order to safeguard our citizens’ rights of education and livelihood,” Hamdallah said.
He warned that under the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute the forced demolition of the village could be considered a war crime.
Hamadalla added that he believed the demolition of the village was part of an Israeli plan to advance construction plans in the E1 area of Ma’aleh Adumim.
The village is located on the edge of E1. Palestinians have objected to Israeli building in E1, arguing that it would make their future state unviable.
“If implemented, the 'E1 plan' will not only physically isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, but would also create a contiguous series of illegal settlements stretching from East Jerusalem to the Jordanian border, thereby dividing the West Bank into two parts and rendering the viability of a Palestinian state virtually impossible,” Hamdallah said.