Israel court defers Khan Al-Ahmar decision to mid-August

Israeli forces can be seen violently attacking Palestinians as they evict them from their homes in Khan Al-Ahmar village of Jerusalem on 4 July 2018 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed until mid-August the Israeli authorities’ planned demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar, a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.

Last week, the court issued an injunction against the demolition, after villagers said their efforts to secure retroactive building permits had been ignored by the Israeli authorities.

Israel systematically denies such permits to Palestinian residents of “Area C” of the West Bank, at the same time as encouraging the growth of settlements built in contravention of international law.

Yesterday, according to agency reports, the court summoned both sides for a session by 15 August, “effectively putting the demolitions on hold”.

Demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar: Another chapter in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine

Israel intends to forcibly displace Khan Al-Ahmar’s residents, as part of a long-standing plan to expand nearby Israeli settlements.

Israel’s policy of demolitions and displacement are grave violations of its responsibilities as an occupying power, and human rights groups have said the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar will amount to a war crime.

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