Israel minister: Merkel should not discuss Khan Al-Ahmar during visit

Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev yesterday called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to take care of her country’s interests and not to mention the demolition of the Palestinian village of Khan Al-Ahmar during her official visit to Israel, news site Arutz Sheva reported.

Regev’s comments came after reports circulated that Merkel threatened to cancel her trip to Israel if the West Bank village of Khan Al-Ahmar was demolished.

“I think that her statement is out of place, and we certainly do not interfere with the decisions of the courts in other countries, and I expect that they will not interfere with the decisions of the Israeli court,” Regev said.

#KhanAlAhmar

“I propose to the German chancellor that she deal with the internal problems of her own country or deal with the very good cooperation system between Germany and Israel,” the Israeli minister from the Likud said.

She added: “We respect the chancellor and her government, but I expect every leader to take care of the internal affairs of his country only.”

READ: Israel settlers flood Khan Al-Ahmar with waste water

In response to the claims, Israeli MK Bezalel Smotrich also tweeted: “If I was prime minister I would evict the village while Merkel’s aircraft is in the air. So that she will then turn around and go back.”

During her speech at Haifa University Merkel rejected the reports as “fake news”, claiming she did not make such a demand.

Israel’s demolition of Al-Khan Al-Ahmar – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]