May: village demolition order ‘a blow for two-state solution’
THERESA MAY has described Israel’s planned demolition of the Bedouin village of Khan Al-Ahmar in the West Bank as a “major blow for the prospects of a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital” with the Palestinians.
The Prime Minister confirmed that Alistair Burt, minister for the Middle East, had met the Israeli ambassador on October 11 to discuss the issue.
During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, the PM said: “I once again call on the Israeli government not to go ahead with the demolition of the village, including its school, and displacing its residents.”
The issue was raised by Scottish Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael, who told the House of Commons that the “forcible removal” of those deemed a protected people by the United Nations would “constitute a war crime”.
Mr Carmichael said that, earlier on Wednesday, Israeli forces had “tasered and pepper-sprayed” activists protesting against the planned demolition.
On Wednesday, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda repeated the suggestion that the destruction of the Bedouin village would constitute a war crime and added: “Evacuation by force May criticised the arrival of bulldozers in the village (above) now appears imminent.” Israel’s argument for the demolition is that Khan al-Ahmar was built illegally and says that it has offered to resettle its residents a few miles away.
But critics say the demolition aims to displace Palestinians in favour of expanding the nearby settlement of Maale Adumim.
The European Parliament passed a resolution last month calling the decision to demolish and transfer Khan al-Ahmar a breach of international humanitarian law. The resolution also demands compensation from Israel for the destruction of European Unionfunded infrastructure in the village.