KHAN AL-AHMAR, Palestinian Territories: A British minister on Wednesday made a last-gasp call to Israel not to raze a Palestinian Bedouin village, after the Israeli supreme court rejected a final appeal against its demolition.
The court last week backed the demolition of the village of Khan Al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank, located close to several Israeli settlements east of Jerusalem.
Residents said they expected the demolition of the village, which is home to 180 people and includes a school, to happen in the coming weeks.
Alistair Burt, British minister of state for the Middle East, visited the village Wednesday and called on the Israeli government to show restraint.
“We are very concerned about the impact of the court case last week and the imminent demolition,” he told AFP during the visit.
He warned that any forced relocation “could constitute forcible transfer of people as far as the United Nations is concerned.”
Forcible transfer is considered a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Burt said they were still seeking to find an alternative to the demolition but stopped short of threatening any direct measures against the Israeli government.
“I will be wanting to seek to persuade Israeli authorities.”
The Israeli supreme court ruled the village was built without the relevant building permits.
Such permits are nearly impossible to obtain for Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank.
Israel says it has offered the residents an alternative location.
Eid Abu Khamis, a spokesman for the village, told AFP he had heard messages of support from Western governments for many years but had seen little practical steps to stop Israel.
He told Burt he would like to see action, rather than condemnation.
Separately Wednesday, Israel approved the construction of nearly 2,000 new settlement homes in the West Bank, including 90 within a kilometer of Khan Al-Ahmar, the Peace Now settlement watchdog said.
Peace Now called the approvals near the village “the embodiment of exploitation and evil.”
All settlements are considered illegal under international law.
UK minister urges Israel not to demolish West Bank Bedouin village
UK minister urges Israel not to demolish West Bank Bedouin village
- Residents said they expected the demolition of the village, which is home to 180 people and includes a school, to happen in the coming weeks.
- Alistair Burt, British minister of state for the Middle East, visited the village Wednesday and called on the Israeli government to show restraint.
Palestine, Egypt officials discuss Gaza safety, security
- Talks also on strategies for stability in Israeli-ravaged Occupied Territories
LONDON: Hussein Al-Sheikh, deputy president of the Palestinian Authority, discussed security and diplomatic issues during separate meetings in Cairo with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati and Hassan Rashad, director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service.
Al-Sheikh briefed Egyptian officials on the latest developments regarding the Occupied Territories, in the presence of Maj. Gen. Majed Faraj, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service.
The discussion on Sunday also focused on strategies for achieving stability and security for the Palestinian people, and progressing to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, as reported by the Wafa news agency.
Officials aim to improve coordination and consultation to tackle the challenges facing the Israeli-ravaged Palestine and the wider region.
Al-Sheikh might become Palestine’s president in the event of a power vacuum in the Palestinian Authority, currently led by 90-year-old Mahmoud Abbas.
