Angela Merkel will cancel her visit to Israel if a Palestinian village is demolished, according to Army radio

German Chancellor Angela Merkel could cancel her trip to Israel if a Bedouin village in the West Bank was demolished by Israeli forces, the country's military radio said.

Merkel and a number of her ministers are expected to arrive Wednesday night for annual meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet.

During her short stay, she should visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Jerusalem and receive an honorary doctorate from Haifa University.

Next Thursday, the German leader will meet with President Reuven Rivlin for a working lunch followed by in-camera talks with Netanyahu.

The visit of Khan al-Ahmar, a Palestinian village located between two Israeli settlements of Kfar Adumim and Ma Adumim, is, however, eclipsed by the visit.

The Israeli authorities gave until October 1 to the tiny hamlet sheltering about 180 people to demolish their homes themselves. The deadline being passed, the demolition would take place during Ms. Merkel's visit.

The expected destruction of the encampment triggered international turmoil and Israel's demand to cancel the plan, which the United Nations has described as a "grave breach of international law".

The UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain issued a joint statement last month in which they declared that they could threaten the prospect of a "death penalty". a contiguous Palestinian state, while the peace process is at a standstill.

On Tuesday, Palestinian children from Khan al-Ahmar staged a protest to ask Ms Merkel to save their homes and schools.

Merkel is not expected to meet with any Palestinian leader, but is expected to meet Netanyahu and his government.

A spokeswoman for the German Embassy in Tel Aviv said The time of Israel that "cancellation was not considered at any time".

However, Israeli ministers reacted angrily to the reports.

"If this is true, it is a blatant, serious and dangerous intervention," said Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen.

"Israel is a sovereign state with a strong and independent tribunal, and we have long since ceased to be a tool to relieve the conscience of Europeans," he added.

An Israeli court ruled in September that the Bedouin tribe, who had originally been displaced from the Negev desert in the 1950s, had illegally built their house in an insecure location near a main road.

Israel defended the decision, claiming that the village had not obtained the appropriate permits and that it would therefore be transferred to a more appropriate place. According to Amnesty International, the two options chosen are located next to a former municipal dump in Jerusalem or near a treatment plant located near the city of Jericho.

Critics have condemned this decision, saying it was impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits in areas of the Israeli-controlled West Bank known as Zone C.

United Nations officials say the village is being cleaned up to allow the expansion of neighboring Israeli settlements, illegal under international law.

Residents have repeatedly appealed the court's decision.

Abu Anas, who was born in Khan al-Ahmar said L & # 39; Independent they would stay on the land even if bulldozers arrive to destroy their homes.

"We will stay here and resist if they come here, even if it means sleeping outside," said Abu Anas.