Zionist regime halts demolition of Bedouin village, for now

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly put an indefinite freeze on the regime’s plans to demolish a Palestinian village in Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank.

A Sunday statement from Netanyahu’s office said the intention was “to give a chance to the negotiations and the offers we received from different bodies, including in recent days” about Khan al-Ahmar.

A handful of the villagers celebrated after the decision was announced, but Walid Assaf, the head of the National Committee to Resist the Wall and Settlements, was sober-minded.

“We see this decision, made by the occupation government, as a temporary one,” he said.

“The decision of postponing the demolition is temporary and we have evidences (to prove) what is happening, and our decision is to continue to protest until the demolition order is cancelled,” he added.

The Bedouin village, home to 180 Palestinians, is situated east of the occupied holy city of Jerusalem al-Quds between two Israeli settlements.

Israel claims Khan al-Ahmar was built without the required permits but Palestinians say such documents are impossible to obtain.

Following years of trying to force out the residents, the so-called Israeli high court of justice determined in May 2018 that its residents could be evicted.

On September 5, Israel’s supreme court rejected appeals against the demolition and said a temporary injunction that had put the move on hold would expire within seven days.

The United Nations has urged Israel not to demolish the village, adding the planned move violates international law.

On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor warned that Israel’s planned “evacuation by force” of the village could constitute a war crime.