Evacuation of Bedouin Village Delayed Again

The evacuation of the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar has been delayed once again, until at least September, according to the right-wing NGO Regavim on Monday.

The tiny herding village of about 180 was slated to be demolished by June 2018, with the approval of the High Court as far back as 2009.

Israel asserts that the inhabitants have no proper permits to reside on the land, which it wants to use for the building of Jewish communities between Yerushalayim and Maaleh Adumim.

The Bedouin residents have been fighting the evacuation, which would see them relocated to what they say is a garbage dump in eastern Yerushalayim.

They have attracted support for their cause from pro-Palestinian activists and the European Union, which has opposed the plan because Jahalin tribe members are recognized as refugees by the UNWRA, the relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

Regavim has been pressing for the demolition to proceed.

“The issue is much larger than the specific case,” director of operations at Regavim, Yakhin Zik, said. “Khan al-Ahmar is also a test of the Israeli government’s readiness to take action against the Palestinian Authority’s plan to seize control over the open spaces of Yehudah and Shomron.”