The European Union (EU) has called on the Israeli regime to halt its scheme to raze Khan al-Ahmar village belonging to Palestinian Bedouin families east of Occupied Jerusalem, saying such actions are contrary to international law and undermine peace efforts.

The EU said in a statement that the demolitions “together with plans for new settlement construction for Israelis in the same area, exacerbate threats to the viability of the two-state solution and further undermine prospects for a lasting peace.”

 

The EU “expects the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions and fully meet its obligations as an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law,” the statement said.

 

About 35 Palestinians were injured Wednesday when the Israeli police quelled a protest held in solidarity with the residents of al-Khan al-Ahmar village, east of Occupied Jerusalem, which is threatened with demolition at any moment.

 

Palestinian media sources said that Israeli police arrested 8 Palestinians in the attack. Israeli policemen were seen assaulting a Palestinian young woman, ripping off her hijab and dragging her on the ground before she was detained.

 

Israeli officers also violently attacked Palestinian activists and residents of Khan al-Ahmar as they stood on guard to Israeli bulldozers attempting to demolish the Bedouin village.

 

Israel's Supreme Court in May ruled for demolishing Khan al-Ahmar, home to 180 Palestinians, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

 

Khan al-Ahmar is one of 46 Bedouin communities in the West Bank threatened with forced displacement. These communities are located in Area C which is exclusively administered by Israel based on the Oslo Accords signed in 1993.

 

 

 

Source: The Palestinian Information Center