Abrar Hussain: Israel has warned residents of a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank to vacate their homes within October 1
The village, called Khan al-Ahmar, is slated for demolition. It consists of tin and wood shacks built on a desert hillside beside an Israeli highway that runs from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.
Israel plans to demolish the village and relocate its 180 residents – Bedouins who scrape a living by raising sheep and goats – to a site 12 kilometers (7 miles) away, near the Palestinian village of Abu Dis, adjacent to a landfill site.
The decision has drawn criticism from both Palestinians and some European states, who cite the impact this would have on the prospects for peace. A spokeswoman for Israel’s military liaison agency with the Palestinians said no date had been set for demolition should the houses remain after the deadline.
Israeli security forces yesterday handed out letters in the morning telling residents to voluntarily take down buildings by October 1 or else authorities would enforce the demolition orders.
Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected petitions to prevent the move, siding with the authorities which say the village was built without the required permits. Palestinians say such documents are impossible to obtain.
Palestinians claim that the demolition is part of an Israeli push to create an arc of settlements that would effectively cut off East Jerusalem from the West Bank, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which the Palestinians seek for an independent state.
-Source: Reuters