Netanyahu administration asks court for Khan al-Ahmar extension
The Bedouin West Bank herding village will not be evacuated at least until the next elections are over, court rules.
By HAGAY HACOHENPalestinian boys sit in the Bedouin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar near Jericho in the West Bank July 5, 2018(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
The State of Israel will not evacuate the Bedouin West Bank herding village of Khan al-Ahmar at least until the September election is over, the right-wing NGO Regavim reported on Monday.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly promised voters that he would demolish the village that is home to 180 members of the Jahalin Bedouin tribe, previously said that Khan al-Ahmar will be evacuated by June 2018.The Jahalin Bedouin have resided in Khan al-Ahmar illegally since they were forced to move out of Tel Arad by the IDF in 1952. They consider themselves to be Palestinian Bedouins. A portion of their community resides in Arab al-Jahalin near Jerusalem.As far back as 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no reason to prevent the demolition of homes in Khan al-Ahmar.Since many among the Jahalin are recognized as refugees by UNWRA, the plan to evacuate the village led to condemnation by the EU.“The issue is much larger than the specific case,” said Director of Operations at Regavim Yakhin Zik. “Khan al-Ahmar is also a test of the Israeli government’s readiness to take action against the Palestinian Authority’s plan to seize control over the open spaces of Judea and Samaria.”
