Palestinians demonstrate against Khan al-Ahmar demolition

Dozens of Palestinians following Friday prayer took part in a demonstration near Khan al-Ahmar village, east of Occupied Jerusalem, in protest at Israel’s decision to demolish the village and forcibly transfer its residents to another area.

The demonstrators raised Palestinian flags and chanted slogans condemning the planned demolition and Israel’s settlement policies.

Head of the National Committee Against the Wall and Settlement Waleed Assaf said in a speech during the demonstration, “We have been protesting in Khan al-Ahmar for 108 days now, and we have been able to delay the demolition.”

“We can continue our protests for months and even years to ensure the safety of Khan al-Ahmar and other Palestinian communities in Area C,” he added.

Israel’s Supreme Court on 5 September ruled for demolishing Khan al-Ahmar and displacing its 80 Palestinian families.

The Israeli government had ordered Khan al-Ahmar residents to demolish their own homes and leave the village, and offered them a 255-dunum plot of land to live on near Jericho.

The offered area lacks access to public services, and it is not connected to a road network or infrastructure, including water, electricity, and sewage treatment system.

Khan al-Ahmar is one of 45 villages threatened with demolition in favor of a settlement project called E1. The project is aimed at creating a physical link between Ma’ale Adumim settlement and Jerusalem, and that would effectively complete a crescent of Israeli settlements around East Jerusalem dividing it from the rest of the West Bank.