The government must decide whether or not to evacuate and raze the illegal West Bank Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar before the High Court of Justice on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government had a Wednesday deadline to present its plan to the court, which had ruled in 2018 that the settlement could be razed but allowed for delays in a final decision. The 2022 general elections had interfered with the previous deadline.
The government has received significant pressure from both coalition allies and international actors on the fate of the village, which lies below Kfar Adumim, next to Route One. Right-wing politicians are pushing for the site's demolition, while foreign diplomats have appealed for the village's preservation.
Likud MK Danny said that there were no more excuses, and to immediately evacuate the village.
“Postponing the eviction of Khan al-Ahmar will send a message of weakness and will be a green light for the continued rampage of illegal Palestinian construction, “ said Danon. “I very much hope that the state's answer to the High Court tomorrow will be simple and clear -- a date for the eviction of Khan al-Ahmar. We were elected to rule.”
"Pack up the idea of a Palestinian state"
The right-wing NGO Regavim, which had lobbied and petitioned for the village's demolition in a 14-year legal campaign, on Tuesday drove a vehicle to the Knesset from Khan al-Ahmar with a banner declaring "Bibi is coming to pack up" The group said the truck would call on Netanyahu to "pack up the idea of a Palestinian state."
Ahead of the state's response to the High Court, left-wing NGO Btselem said it had organized a delegation of the head of the European Union mission and 30 foreign diplomats on Monday.
"“The demolition of Khan al-Ahmar cannot be a legal or moral act, no matter how many times the Israeli Supreme Court says it is permissible," said Btselem executive director Hagai El-Ad. “No matter how many times the Israeli Supreme Court gives the green light to carry out a war crime, this remains a war crime and part of the policy of the Israeli apartheid regime.”
The diplomats, representing Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, the EU, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement saying that although legal avenues had been exhausted, they urged Israel to cease evictions and demolitions.
"Khan Al Ahmar is home to 38 Palestinian families and is also the location of a donor-funded school which serves five communities in the local area. The demolition of the village and the subsequent eviction of its residents could amount to forcible transfer in violation of Article 49 of Geneva Convention IV," said the letter. "The international community has for many years worked to discourage the Israeli authorities from taking forward the proposed demolitions."
The 180 Bedouin who live in the village moved from the Negev to the West Bank after the War of Independence, settling at the disputed site in 1970.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.