Amnesty International: "Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak should cancel military plans to forcibly displace around 2,300 Bedouin…"

Thousands of Jahlain Bedouins face displacement to live next to garbage dump © Amnesty International

“Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak should cancel military plans to forcibly displace around 2,300 Bedouin residents of the West Bank to an area beside the Jerusalem municipal garbage dump, Amnesty International said today in a new briefing paper.

Major-General Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, visited the Khan al-Ahmar community last week, and reportedly promised residents that that their homes and community school would not be demolished, and that they would not be transferred to the site next to the garbage dump. He said that the community would be moved to a different site in the occupied West Bank.But Amnesty International said that was not enough.“Israeli military officials are putting a gloss on their plans by portraying them as a way of providing Bedouin with basic amenities such as water and electricity, but in fact such forcible relocation of Bedouin would merely perpetuate years of dispossession and discrimination and could constitute a war crime,” said Ann Harrison.“Informal promises are not enough for these communities. The Israeli Minister of Defence must issue a formal cancellation of this policy.” […]

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Full article here:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/israel-cancel-plan-forcibly-displace-jahalin-bedouin-communities-2012-02-08