Israel’s government intends on asking the High Court of Justice on Sunday to once again delay the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, according to Israeli media.
The government’s reason for making this request is reportedly that it is close to reaching an agreement on a consensual evacuation of the illegal Bedouin town.
The petition to evacuate the town was filed five years ago, and since then, subsequent governments have asked for multiple postponements of the evacuation. The last time the High Court agreed to postpone its demand on the government to evacuate the town earlier this year, it said that if it didn’t get a response from the government by April, it would order the town to be evacuated.
Request for delay met with criticism
The reports of the government’s intentions drew much criticism from opposition MKs.
“Netanyahu has never had a problem moving Hebron to Arafat or expelling Jews from Gush Katif,” said Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman. “But when it comes to Palestinians, everything suddenly becomes ‘sensitive, very sensitive. Therefore, when it comes to Khan al-Ahmar, even though the High Court allowed the evacuation of the illegal Palestinian outpost, Netanyahu is again being ‘sensitive’ and looking for any way to legitimize the control of Palestinians on Israel’s grounds.”
A Palestinian man gestures as Israeli policemen stand guard in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar that Israel plans to demolish, in the West Bank October 16, 2018. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)“What a poor excuse for another delay in the neverending saga,” said National Unity MK Zeev Elkin. “Already in 2018, Netanyahu used the excuse of consensual evacuation when he asked to postpone the evacuation and promised that it would happen in a matter of weeks. It’s been five years since then. Khan al-Ahmar has to be evacuated! I said it during the Netanyahu government, and I said it during the Bennett-Lapid government. Bezalel [Smotrich] and Itamar [Ben-Gvir], are you awake?”
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