The international silence over the Khan Al-Ahmar demolitions is appalling

Last Sunday’s demolition orders distributed by the Israel Defence Forces’ Civil Administration to the Bedouin village of Khan Al-Ahmar should prompt the international community to reconsider its silence when it comes to Israel’s ethnic cleansing and displacement of the indigenous Palestinians. It also appears that Israel schedules such blatant violations for timeframes when diplomats are scheduled to visit the occupied Palestinian territories.

In October 2016, Khan Al-Ahmar and Abu Nuwar had brief mentions in the media due to being targeted for demolition by the Israeli authorities. At the time, a delegation of EU diplomats based in Ramallah visited these villages “to gain a first-hand impression of the coercive environments these communities find themselves in.”

Latterly, just as over 40 demolition orders were issued in Khan Al-Ahmar, a European Parliament mission embarked on yet another exploitative presence in Palestine; the aim was purported to be “to send a strong signal that the occupation of Palestine” has to end. The parliamentary delegation is also slated to meet with representatives whose communities are risking forced displacement.

Haaretz struck a condescending tone in its reporting of the demolition orders, juxtaposing political pressure and illegality to divert attention away from the Israeli government’s dependence upon the forcible displacement of Bedouin communities. The Haaretz article is replete with such references: “Among the buildings at the site is the ‘Tyre School’, built of worn-out tyres, which is used by students from a number of illegal villages in the area.” And: “These buildings have been put up illegally, but the EU makes sure to put a large sticker with the EU flag on all of them.”

In between such statements, there is an acknowledgement of the “harsh conditions and poverty faced by Bedouins in Khan Al-Ahmar.” Put succinctly, the rhetoric seems to encourage the government’s use of disproportionate aggression against the most vulnerable communities.

Although by now a prerequisite with regard to every human rights violation by Israel, the international community’s silence over these demolitions is appalling; such complicity is not entirely unexpected, though. The stagnant attitude exhibited by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHA oPt) is reflected across all international institutions allegedly concerned with safeguarding human rights.

Rather than construct a feasible challenge, the international community and representative organisations have created a sideshow in which victims of human rights violations are categorised into a case study for mere reference and report filing. Such obvious scheming makes the Haaretz haranguing of the EU over “large stickers” placed by delegations on Bedouin dwellings somewhat ridiculous. If shedding the blood of Palestinians has never acted as a deterrent for Israel, it is unlikely that any flimsy sticker will provoke a conscientious debate of the issues.

What happens to the displaced Bedouin communities is of no interest to the diplomats. In a couple of days, the media will be regaled with a series of observations from the latest delegation’s routine façade of a visit. Forced displacement has provided a thriving business for Israel and the international community. The “Greater Israel” ideology experiences an additional sliver of gratification, while the international community is assured of having enough victims as supply for its human rights violation endeavours. Both behind the scenes and front of house in this Theatre of the Macabre, the displaced are rendered invisible. It is truly shameful.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.