Israel puts off its demolition plan
occupied jerusalem — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he has decided to postpone the planned demolition of a West Bank hamlet to allow time for a negotiated solution with its residents, in a move that appeared aimed at staving off the fierce international condemnation such a demolition would likely entail.
Israel has come under heavy criticism, with major European countries urging it to avoid the demolition of Khan Al Ahmar. The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor recently said such a move could constitute a war crime.
Israeli officials said alternative solutions have arrived in recent days from various sources and Netanyahu wanted to give them a chance. That sparked criticism from Netanyahu’s hard-line coalition partners who are demanding decisive action. In response, Netanyahu clarified that the hamlet would be razed, and his delay was not open-ended.
“Khan Al Ahmar will be evacuated, it’s a court ruling, that’s our policy and it will be done,” he said. “I have no intention of postponing this until further notice, contrary to reports, but rather for a short, defined period of time.”
Netanyahu said he will convene his Cabinet on Sunday to decide the duration of the delay.
Israel says the Palestinian Bedouin encampment of corrugated shacks outside an Israeli settlement was illegally built in an unsafe location near a major highway. It has
offered to resettle residents a few kilometres away in what it says are improved conditions — with connections to water, electricity and sewage treatment they currently lack. But critics say it’s impossible for Palestinians to get building permits and that the demolition plan is meant to make room for the expansion
of an Israeli settlement. Israel’s Supreme Court recently rejected a final appeal, paving the way for Khan Al Ahmar’s demolition.
The encampment of 180 residents has become a rallying cry for Palestinians, who have staged large-scale protests at the site for the past few months. —