Palestinians demonstrated provokingly against Israel’s threat to demolish the Bedouin village of West Bank, which is located in the occupied West Bank near al-Quds and aims to build new settlements there.
Palestinian activist Khairy Hanoun who was at the protest, in an interaction with Al Jazeera said that “We came here to tell them, you demolished our villages, you demolished our cities and our homes, but you will not demolish our perseverance,” he also added, Palestinians will keep rebuilding it, even if the Israelis “demolish it 100 times.”
Khairy Hanoun, referring to far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who promised to continue the forced evacuation of the village, said, “We came here to challenge Ben-Gvir’s decision and the decisions of the whole right-wing government.”
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In the midst of the unjust atmosphere for Palestinians, Eid Jahalin, who is said to be the spokesperson for the village, told the TV network that the Israeli practice of demolitions in the occupied West Bank is “constantly happening across all of Palestine.”
Israel regularly demolishes Palestinian homes in the West Bank and East al-Quds, claiming that the buildings were constructed without so-called Israeli permits, which are nearly impossible to obtain. Additionally, they may compel Palestinian property owners to demolish their homes themselves or bear the costs if they do not.
Jahalin stated at the protest, “Since 1967, there have been military orders for demolishing homes, closed military zones, and other areas, and then these areas are turned into illegal settlements and nature reserves.” Jahalin stated, “Our fate is to remain in this area.” Demolitions in the Jordan Valley, Masafer Yatta, and Al-Quds City are just a few examples of what’s going on throughout Palestine, so anyone who thinks it’s just Khan al-Ahmar is mistaken.
He emphasized how important the village is because it is close to a highway that connects East al-Quds to the Jordan Valley, where Israel wants to expand and connect settlements, effectively splitting the West Bank in two. Our primary message to the Palestinian leadership is as follows… if this village is ripped apart. Jahalin stated, “We will have the northern West Bank and the southern West Bank.”
The Palestinian Authority, according to the Committee Against the Wall and Settlements’ legal adviser, would not permit the village to be destroyed. This is Palestine’s territory. Maarouf Rifai stated, “It is a private Palestinian land.” The Israeli government has no other option but to implement the “Greater Al-Quds” plan and link the settlements surrounding East Al-Quds in order to eliminate Palestinian Arabs from the area. We are here to speak up and declare that we will not permit this to occur.
Over 230 Israeli settlements have been constructed since Israel’s 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds Palestinian territories, which has become home to over 600,000 Israelis and according to international law, all Israeli settlements are illegal. In a number of resolutions, the UN Security Council has criticized Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories.
