Khan al-Ahmar (village)

This article is about the Palestinian village, or school community. For the monastery and khan, see Monastery of Euthymius. For the other khan sometimes known by this name, see Inn of the Good Samaritan.

Khan al-Ahmar
الخان الأحمر
Village
The image shows buildings amongst green trees, with solar panels at the top, surrounded by sandy terrain. A highway with several cars is seen in the background.
View of internationally-funded school building
Nickname: 
Red Caravanserai[1]
Coordinates: 31°48′45.00″N 35°20′16.00″E / 31.8125000°N 35.3377778°E / 31.8125000; 35.3377778
TerritoryWest Bank
GovernorateJerusalem Governorate
Elevation
225 m (738 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total~173–180[2][3]
 including 92 children
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (IST, PST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (IDT, PDT)
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Khan al-Ahmar (Arabic: الخان الأحمر, Hebrew: חאן אל-אחמאר, lit. The Red Caravansary)[1] is a Palestinian village (sometimes referred to as the "Khan al-Ahmar school community") located in the Khan al-Ahmar area of the Jerusalem Governorate of the West Bank. In 2018, there were between 173 and 180 Bedouin, including 92 children,[2][3] living there in tents and huts, upwards of 100 in 2010, with its local school serving the needs of 150 children in the area.[4][5] Khan al-Ahmar is located between the Israeli settlements of Ma'ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim on the north side of Highway 1, between the junctions with Route 437 and Route 458.[6]

In May 2018, the Israeli High Court of Justice determined that its residents could be evicted.[4] The United Nations,[7] the International Criminal Court,[8] the European Parliament[9] and Amnesty International[10] have stated that the demolition of the village would be a violation of international law, being a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and may amount to a war crime.[2] On 20 October 2018, the Israeli government announced that it would postpone the demolition.[11][12] Subsequently, it was announced in 2019 that there would be no decision on demolition pending the election of a new government.

On 18 July 2021, the new government Foreign Minister Yair Lapid wrote that "Given that the new government was formed recently, and therefore has not yet been able to examine the issue in depth independently and not relying on the conclusions of the previous government, and considering that this is a particularly sensitive issue," he wanted to conduct an in-depth review and the court was asked for a delay until 14 September 2021.[13] After 8 extensions up to 1 February 2023,[14] the government asked once more for a further 4 month delay until 1 June 2023.[15] The court granted an extension to 1 May for the hearing and to 1 April for the state to file its position.[16]

On 7 May 2023, Israel's Supreme Court denied the Regavim petition, accepting the government's argument that the eviction should be stayed "for current reasons related to the security of a country and its foreign relations" and that the government would itself decide when that would happen.[17][18]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Shulman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c "Khan al-Ahmar: Israel court approves demolition of Bedouin village". BBC News. 5 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b 'UK urges Israel not to demolish Khan al Ahmar village east of Jerusalem,' Archived 2018-06-14 at the Wayback Machine Gulf Times 13 June 2018
  4. ^ a b David Zonsheine, 'Israel is about to destroy this Palestinian village. Will Britain step in?,' Archived 2018-06-14 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian 14 June 2018.
  5. ^ Jewish Settlements Squeeze Bedouin Enclave Archived 2018-05-26 at the Wayback Machine National Public Radio, July 23, 2009
  6. ^ "Communities facing expulsion: The Khan al-Ahmar area". B'TSELEM. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  7. ^ "UN: Israel's demolition of Khan al-Ahmar violation of international law". Middle East Monitor. 16 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Theresa May: Israel's demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar 'a major blow for two-state solution'". The Jewish Chronicle. 17 October 2018.
  9. ^ "European Parliament Warns: Eviction, Demolition of Khan al-Ahmar Would Be War Crime". Haaretz. 13 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Israel/OPT: Demolition of Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar is cruel blow and war crime". Amnesty International. 1 October 2018.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference jpdelay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Israel delays Palestinian village Khan al-Ahmar demolition order". Al Jazeera. 21 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Lapid: 'International Challenges' Require Reassessment of Bedouin Village's Demolition". Haaretz.
  14. ^ "New Israeli Government to Determine Fate of West Bank Bedouin Village Slated for Eviction" – via Haaretz.
  15. ^ "For 9th Time, Israeli Gov't Asks Court to Delay Deciding on Evicting West Bank Village" – via Haaretz.
  16. ^ "Israel's court threatens to force Netanyahu to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  17. ^ "Israel's Top Court Denies Petition Calling for Immediate Eviction of Palestinian Village" – via Haaretz.
  18. ^ "In Ruling to Delay Demolition of Palestinian Village Khan al-Ahmar, Israel's High Court Rescues Netanyahu" – via Haaretz.