UN decries razing of West Bank school
THE UN has condemned Israel’s impending demolition of a school and homes in a West Bank village. Officers distributed dozens of military “stop work” orders in the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, which lies between two Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said “almost every structure” is under threat, affecting the homes and livelihoods of almost 140 people, of whom almost half are children.
Khan al-Ahmar’s primary school, which was built in 2009 with international support and has around 140 pupils from surrounding Bedouin communities, is among the buildings that could be destroyed. Robert Piper, the UN’s aid and development co-ordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the pressure on residents to move to a planned relocation site is “unacceptable and must stop”.
“The entire existence of this community is under threat,” he added. “I am gravely concer ned about Israel’s continued pressures to force these Bedouin from their homes, destroying their livelihoods and their distinct culture. Many of these Palestinian refugee families have already had their homes demolished several times within the last couple of years. I urge the Israeli authorities to halt all plans and practices that will directly or indirectly lead refugees to be displaced once again.”
The Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories told The Times of Israel that orders were given to “cease construction” but said residents had been invited to a hearing about the buildings yesterday where they were to be given the chance to present their case. The process frequently signals the start of demolitions but no date has been given.
Destruction operations frequently draw protests and security crackdowns, including in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, where police shot dead an Arab driver whose car ran over and killed an Israeli officer. Police and Israeli politicians initially claimed the incident was a terrorist car-ramming attack but are reportedly set to reverse the judgement amid evidence police opened fire unnecessarily and caused the driver to lose control of his car.
“If there was a mistake, we have to say we erred, but I will wait for the official report,” Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said.
Khan al-Ahmar is one of 46 communities in the West Bank deemed to be at risk of forced transfers by Israeli authorities, in what the UN says would be a grave breach of international law under the Geneva Convention.
Thousands of Palestinian homes have been destroyed by Israeli authorities on the grounds they were built illegally without a permit, with a spike being recorded in East Jerusalem since Donald Trump’s election victory.
The UNRWA said permission is “largely impossible to obtain” from Israel due to the “discriminatory planning and zoning regime” it imposes in areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem under its control.
“The developments in Khan al-Ahmar are not unique,” said Piper.
“Thousands of families live in fear of demolitions at any moment, and entire communities exist in chronic instability.” – The Independent