The Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar is located about 20 kilometers east of Jerusalem and, according to censuses, has been inhabited since long before the establishment of the State of Israel.

Today, the village is home to 38 Palestinian families, most of them descendants of Bedouins from the Jahalin tribe who were expelled from the Negev desert in Israel in the 1950s.

Israel claims that the village is illegally built and in 2018 opened the country’s Supreme Court for the demolition of the houses there and the forced relocation of the inhabitants. A final appeal was rejected in September of the same year, but the residents refused to comply with a deadline to move voluntarily.

Norway, which has helped fund a primary school in the village, was among several countries that protested. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that it will be a war crime and raze Khan al-Ahmar to the ground.

Diplomatic visit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave in to the pressure and put the demolition plans on hold, but Israel’s new and strong right-wing nationalist government has brought them back.

On Tuesday, a group of diplomats from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and several other countries visited Khan al-Ahmar, under the auspices of the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem.

After the visit, the diplomats sent out a joint announcement where they come with a sharp warning to Israel.

In violation of international law

– Demolition of the village and subsequent eviction of the inhabitants may constitute forced relocation in violation of Article 49 of the Geneva Convention IV, it says, among other things.

– For many years, the international community has been working to prevent the Israeli authorities from carrying out the proposed demolition. Today’s visit was an occasion to repeat our concerns. Eviction and demolition cause unnecessary suffering. We call on Israel to end this, the announcement said.

Settlements

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967 and in all the years since has refused to comply with UN demands for withdrawal.

Several Israeli settlements are located near Khan al-Ahmar. The UN Security Council has stated that the Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank are illegal and require a halt to construction.

Palestinians and other critics claim that Israel wants to remove Khan al-Ahmar in order to expand the settlements located nearby.

(© NTB)