Deadline passes, Palestinians brace for W. Bank demolition

Khan Al- Ahmar ( Palestine), Oct. 1: Palestinians residents of a West Bank hamlet braced on Monday for an Israeli court- ordered demolition of their homes as activists arrived to help them resist in case Israeli troops moved in to evict them.

Many spent the night sleeping in a school courtyard or keeping vigil as the Israeli- imposed midnight deadline passed for Khan al- Ahmar’s residents to evacuate on their own or face forced removal and the demolition of their homes. However, it was unlikely this would happen at least before the end of a Jewish holiday at sundown Monday.

Israel says the encampment of corrugated shacks outside an Israeli settlement was illegally built and in an unsafe location near a major highway.

It has offered to resettle residents a few miles away in what it says are improved conditions — with connections to water, electricity and sewage treatment they currently lack. But critics said that it’s impossible for Palestinians to get building permits and the demolition plan is against the residents’ will and meant to make room for the expansion of an Israeli settlement.

Israel’s Supreme Court recently rejected a final appeal against the plan, paving the way for Khan al- Ahmar’s potential demolition. The encampment has become a rallying cry for Palestinians and Israel has come under heavy criticism, with major European countries urging it to refrain from demolition and removal of the 180 or so residents.