JERUSALEM: Israel’s top court on Wednesday approved another delay to the demolition of a strategically located Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank that drew international concern.
The government is locked in a legal battle with a right-wing Israeli NGO over the proposed demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar, situated east of Jerusalem along a road leading to the Dead Sea.
The hamlet was set to be evacuated and demolished three years ago after it was ruled to have been built illegally, and attempts to agree on an alternative site for relocation failed.
Khan Al-Ahmar’s fate drew international concern, with European countries calling on Israel not to move ahead with plans to demolish it, and in October 2018, the office of then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu froze the demolition plans.
Regavim, a right-wing Israeli organization that supports Jewish settlements, in 2019 filed a petition to the supreme court demanding the state uphold its previous commitment to remove Khan Al-Ahmar.
The state repeatedly requested more time to submit its response, with the court setting September 5 as a deadline.
On that day, the state asked the court for six more months, citing “progress” on the issue, and on Wednesday, a three-judge panel approved the decision.
Justice Noam Sohlberg said the court had accepted “the state’s claim on significant progress,” and requested an update in March.
Foreign states have told Israel that demolishing the village, home to around 200 residents, would mark a violation of international law.
Israel court again delays ruling on demolition of Bedouin village
https://arab.news/8ph6z
Israel court again delays ruling on demolition of Bedouin village
- The government is locked in a legal battle with a right-wing Israeli NGO over the proposed demolition of Khan al-Ahmar
- Khan al-Ahmar's fate drew international concern, with European countries calling on Israel not to move ahead with plans to demolish it
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
