Israel’s Supreme Court cleared the way for the demolition of a Bedouin village in the West Bank, rejecting a final appeal in a case that has drawn heavy international criticism and become a rallying cry for the Palestinians.
In its decision, the court rejected an appeal to block the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar. It said that a stay would expire in a week, and the encampment could then be legally torn down. There was no date immediately announced for the demolition.
The fate of Khan al-Ahmar, just east of Jerusalem, has raised grave concerns from the United Nations, the European Union and others. Palestinian leaders have repeatedly gathered at the spot to protest the planned demolition.
Israel claims the village, an encampment of corrugated shacks outside the Kfar Adumim settlement, was illegally built and has offered to resettle residents 12 kilometers, about seven miles, away. But critics say it’s impossible for Palestinians to get building permits and that the demolition is meant to make room for an Israeli settlement.
Source: News Observer
