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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his decision to delay the demolition of a Bedouin village in the West Bank was a brief reprieve as efforts were underway to reach a resettlement agreement for his family. residents.
People celebrate Israel's postponement of the expulsion of the Palestinian Bedouin village from Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank on October 20, 2018. REUTERS / Mohamad Torokman
Israel's decision to raze the village of Khan al-Ahmar in Israel-occupied territory is a source of concern for the international community, including the United Nations and the European Union. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has stated that the expulsion and demolition of Khan al-Ahmar could constitute a war crime.
But a Netanyahu office official, who requested anonymity, said Saturday that the eviction had been postponed and that an alternative relocation plan was under study, in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.
In an address to reporters on Sunday, Netanyahu said that expulsion would eventually be undertaken.
"I have no intention of delaying this indefinitely, despite information going in the opposite direction, but for a short time," he said.
"The time we allocate to evacuation under an agreement will be set by the security cabinet. I will call him today. We will fix (the calendar). It will be brief and I believe it will be done with consent.
Originally, residents were to be resettled in an area located about 12 km (seven miles) near a landfill located in the occupied territory of Israel. The authorities were supposed to send bulldozers at any time after the deadline of October 1 for the demolition of houses by the villagers.
Israel, which has long sought to rid Arab nomads of the lands lying between the Jewish settlements of Maale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, said that Khan al-Ahmar was built without the required permits.
Palestinians, who have lost an appeal from the Israeli Supreme Court against the evacuation, claim that such documents are impossible to obtain.
Palestinians say the destruction of the village's tents and sheethouses is part of an Israeli plan to create an arch of Jewish settlements that could effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the West Bank, areas occupied by Israel since the 1967 war .
Most countries view Israeli-built settlements as illegal on lands captured in 1967 and claim that they are reducing and fragmenting the territory Palestinians seek for a viable state. Israel is challenging it.
The United Nations, the EU and rights groups have urged Israel not to shave the village, evoking the impact on its community and prospects for peace.
Written by Jeffrey Heller; Edited by Raissa Kasolowsky
