JERUSALEM/BRUSSELS—Israel’s Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction that postpones the proposed demolition of the Khan al-Ahmar Bedouin village.
The injunction was granted after an urgent petition was submitted by Alaa Mahajna, a lawyer representing the residents of Khan Al-Ahmar. The petition argued that the Civil Administration, which grants construction permits in the West Bank, never proposed any plans to legalise the village and refused to review a plan submitted by the villagers. The Civil Administration has until 11 July to respond to the issues raised in the petition.
In May, the Supreme Court ruled that the village was built illegally and must be evacuated. The Supreme Court also approved the government plan to provide a new site and concluded that it offered suitable housing and allowed the community to continue herding their flocks and maintaining their traditional lifestyle. The Israeli authorities say the structures were built without the relevant building permits and pose a threat to residents because of their proximity to a highway. It is adjacent to the Route 1 Highway which connects Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.
It is interesting to notice that the government plan involved relocating the inhabitants of te village of Khan al-Ahmar to “Jahalin West,” near Abu Dis on the outskirts of East Jerusalem, to build a new school, and to provide each family with plots of land which would be connected to electricity and water. The village consists largely of dwellings built with tin and wood. The tribe are believed to have moved there in the 1970s and and approximately 180 people live there.
But on Wednesday, the European Union issued a statement calling on the Israeli authorities to reverse their decisions to demolish the village and relocate theand another structure in the Palestinian community of Abu Nuwar also located in area C of the West Bank which is under full Israeli control.
‘’The communities are located within or near the so-called E1 in area C, which is critical for the contiguity of a future Palestinian state,’’ an EU spokesperson said.
‘’These demolitions, together with plans for new settlement construction for Israelis in the same area, exacerbate threats to the viability of the two-state solution and further undermine prospects for a lasting peace,’’ the statement reads.
The statement concludes : ‘’In line with our long-standing position on Israel’s settlement policy, illegal under international law, and actions taken in that context, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes, the EU expects the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions and fully meet its obligations as an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law.’’
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain have submitted complaints to the Israeli government making clear their opposition to the plan to demolish Khan al-Ahmar.
According to Israel’s Channel 10 News, they warned Israeli officials that the demolition of the village “would trigger a reaction from EU member states”.
Diplomats from France, UK, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and Ireland attempted to visit the village but were prevented from entering the areas as it had been declared a closed military zone.
The French Consul-General in Jerusalem, Pierre Cochard, said: “We wanted to show our solidarity with this village which is threatened with destruction, for humanitarian reasons and because it is a major issue of international law.”