IDF begins preparations for Khan al-Ahmar demolition
The High Court of Justice last month ruled that the village, which is home to 52 families, could be razed along with the nearby school.
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUpdated: JULY 2, 2018 02:12Civil Administration staff in Khan Al-Ahmar to prepare for its pending demolition.(photo credit: COURTESY OF B'TSELEM)
Civil Administration staff entered the illegal Palestinian Beduin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar to begin preparations for its pending demolition, the left-wing NGO B’Tselem reported.The staff, with the help of the police, walked through the community’s tents and shacks, taking photographs and mapping out their location, according to B’Tselem, which provided video of the IDF’s actions in the village.The High Court of Justice last month ruled that the village, which is home to 52 families, could be razed along with the nearby school. The village is located on the edge of Route 1, right outside of the Kfar Adumim settlement.The plight of the Khan al-Ahmar families – along with that of the Palestinian herding village of Sussiya, in the South Hebron Hills – has received wide international attention.The European Union and the United Nations have publicly called on Israel not to carry out the demolitions.South Hebron Hills Regional Council head Yochai Damri has charged that the US has also pressured Israel not to raze the communities. Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman hinted that this was correct when he spoke with reporters last month.Israel plans to move the families to the town of Abu Dis, just outside of Jerusalem. Settlers and right-wing politicians who have long advocated for the Khan al-Ahmar relocation has argued that its presence overlooking such a main artery presents a security threat.They have further claimed that its presence at that site is part of a Palestinian Authority plan to stake a claim to Area C of the West Bank.Peace Now has charged that the IDF has focused in particular on Khan al-Ahmar because it is located next to a newly expanded area of the Kfar Adumim settlement, where construction is pending for 92 settler homes.
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