by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Residents of Khan al-Ahmar, 6 miles east of Jerusalem, say they have been unfairly denied building permits by Israel, which has long sought to relocate the village
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The Bedouin village
of Khan al-Ahmar
Photo: Reuters
Israel's
top court on Thursday suspended the planned demolition of a Bedouin
village in the West Bank that has become a focus of Palestinian protests
and international concern, a lawyer for the residents said.
The High Court of Justice issued its
injunction a day after Israeli security forces sparked scuffles by
moving in bulldozers into Khan al-Ahmar. It gave the state until July 11
to respond to the residents' contention that they had been unfairly
denied building permits, lawyer Alaa Mahajna told Reuters.
Around 180 Bedouin, raising sheep and
goats, live in tin and wood shacks in Khan al-Ahmar, 10 kilometers (6
miles) east of Jerusalem between the Israeli communities of Maale Adumim
and Kfar Adumim.
The Palestinians claim that Israeli
building permits have been impossible to get for Khan al-Ahmar. Israel
has long sought to clear Bedouin from the area between the two
communities, and the High Court approved the demolition in May.
Human rights groups say that removing the
Bedouin village would create a bigger Israeli settlement pocket near
Jerusalem and make it more difficult for Palestinians to achieve
territorial contiguity in the West Bank, where they seek a future state.
Israel said it plans to relocate the
residents to an area about 12 kilometers (7 miles) away, near the
Palestinian village of Abu Dis.
The new site is adjacent to a landfill and
rights advocates say that a forcible transfer of the residents would
violate international law on occupied territory. The United Nations and
European Union have come out against the plan as well.
Interviewed before the court's ruling on
Thursday, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan signaled that the Khan
al-Ahmar demolition might not be imminent.
Noting the level of international
opposition to the move, he said, "I hope this decision will be
implemented in the coming weeks."
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/07/06/high-court-suspends-razing-of-bedouin-village-in-west-bank/
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