The Israeli Civil Administration ordered on Sunday the Bedouin residents of Khan al-Ahmar village, east of Jerusalem, to demolish their homes and to evacuate the area before October.
According to local sources, staff members of the Israeli Civil Administration under the protection of Israeli forces stormed Khan al-Ahmar and handed evacuation notices to the residents, ordering them to demolish their homes and evacuate the village within the given timeframe.
Israel orders Palestinians of #KhanAlAhmar to demolish their homes and school by Oct. 1st #WarCrimes pic.twitter.com/76hnkYEkdm
— Diana Buttu (@dianabuttu) September 23, 2018
Sources said that Israeli forces threatened the residents in case of non-implementation of the notices, the Israeli army would demolish the village.
Sources also added that large numbers of heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the village and surrounded the open sit-in tent, as well as took photos of the participants.
Earlier this month, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal against the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and ruled for its evacuation and demolition to take place, under the pretext of building without a difficult-to-obtain Israeli permit.
Israeli occupation forces hand notices to the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem, ordering the citizens of the community to leave it before October 1 prior to its inevitable demolition ! pic.twitter.com/RgAoILMX6d
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) September 23, 2018
However, critics say that the displacement of the residents and the demolition of the village is as part of an Israeli plan to expand the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Kfar Adummim.
The village is inhabited by about 200 Palestinians, 53% of whom are children and 95% of whom are refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Eight European countries at the United Nations called on Israel to reverse its decision to demolish the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar in the West Bank. https://t.co/2lHzRs0hcJ pic.twitter.com/iRxbSAoWJJ
— The IMEU (@theIMEU) September 22, 2018
A delegation of European parliamentarians for relations with Palestine visited Khan al-Ahmar earlier this week and warned that,
“The forceful transfer of people under occupation is a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and is considered a war crime.”
Why #Israel Demolishes: Khan Al-Ahmar as Representation of Greater Genocide https://t.co/TyQ84ZPNy1 pic.twitter.com/auad0bsaMI
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) September 23, 2018
Although international humanitarian law prohibits the demolition of the village and illegal confiscation of private property, Israeli forces continue their planned expansion by forcing evictions and violating basic human rights of the people.
Israel has been constantly trying to uproot Bedouin communities from the east of Jerusalem area to allow settlement expansion in the area, which would later turn the entire eastern part of the West Bank into a settlement zone.
(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)
