Israel forces attack protesters in Khan Al-Ahmar

Israeli occupation forces attacked on Friday a group of protesters in Khan Al-Ahmar used pepper spray and prevented them from demonstrating on the nearby highway, Ma’an reported.

According to Ma’an, the Israeli occupation forces besieged the Palestinian village, situated just east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, which is slated for demolition by Israel to make way for the expansion of more illegal settlements in the area.

The siege started on Friday at dawn and the Israeli occupation forces prevented any of the residents or the demonstrators from leaving the village.

All roads leading to the village were also closed in order to prevent the arrival of protesters and residents who came to demonstrate against the slated demolition.

READ: Theresa May condemns Israel’s planned demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar

Ma’an said that these closures were also imposed to prevent the arrival of journalists to the village.

Earlier this week, Khan Al-Ahmar was flooded with wastewater with illegal settlers from the nearby settlement of Kfar Adumim. The incident represented the second time this month that illegal settlers had attacked and flooded the village, causing contamination to the village’s water supplies in an attempt to drive its residents from the village.

Bulldozers were also seen entering Khan Al-Ahmar this week from the Jerusalem-Jericho road. The three military vehicles began to raze the ground surrounding the village, in what is thought to be in preparation for its demolition. Though the demolition was expected to take place on 1 October, as yet Israel has not forcibly transferred the residents of Khan Al-Ahmar.

READ: ICC warns Israel: Destroying Khan Al-Ahmar could be ‘war crime’

Khan Al-Ahmar is home to some 173 Al-Jahhalin Bedouins who are refugees from the Negev desert. They have lived in the area east of Jerusalem since their displacement by the Israeli army in 1967. Israel has refused to recognise Al-Jahhalin Bedouin communities or grant them building permits, a strategy often used by Israel to term any Bedouin home illegal.

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