Israel
Israel halts controversial demolition of West Bank village Khan al-Ahmar
Hugely controversial plans on hold
October 21, 2018 09:44
Hugely controversial plans on hold
October 21, 2018 09:44Israel has delayed the planned hugely controversial demolition of the West Bank Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar until further notice.
Sources in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Saturday evening that the evacuation had been halted to continue negotiations and to listen to proposals around the village's future.
No date has been given on when a decision would be made whether to move ahead with the demolition.
Last month, the High Court rejected a final appeal from Khan al-Ahmar residents.
The authorities had since been preparing to flatten the hamlet and transfer the residents several miles east near the Palestinian town of Abu Dis, in a move that has drawn international condemnation of Israel.
Residents of Khan al-Ahmar - 180 in number, according to the United Nations - opposed moving there, saying that they were never consulted and the location was unsuitable.
During last Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May said the demolition would be a “major blow for the prospects of a two state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital” with the Palestinians.
The PM added: “I once again call on the Israeli government not to go ahead with the demolition of the village, including its school, and displacing its residents.”
On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court's chief-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda repeated the suggestion that the destruction of the Bedouin village would constitute a war crime, warning: “Evacuation by force now appears imminent."
Israel says Khan al-Ahmar was built illegally but critics say the demolition aims to displace Palestinians in favour of Israeli settlement expansion.
The European Parliament passed a resolution last month calling the decision to demolish and transfer Khan al-Ahmar a breach of international humanitarian law.
The resolution also demands compensation from Israel for the destruction of European Union-funded infrastructure in the village.
