![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1.6456037.3006821988.jpg\")
A Palestinian man walks in the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank July 6, 2018<\/strong>Credit:\u00a0\\ MOHAMAD TOROKMAN\/ REUTERS <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
- Israel’s top court okays eviction of West Bank Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar<\/a><\/li>
- \u25cfEverything you need to know about the West Bank Bedouin village at the eye of a diplomatic storm<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday\u2019s ruling by the High Court of Justice<\/a> permitting the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone. After the previous ruling, rejecting petitions to stop demolitions in the West Bank village<\/a>, the die was cast. The new petitions served as a delaying tactic, aimed, perhaps primarily, at trying to reestablish the village in a different location<\/a>, one that would be reasonable and in tune with the residents\u2019 way of life.Therefore, the court was on solid legal ground in rejecting the petitions. If there is something surprising about the ruling, it was actually the cautious, perhaps even suspicious attitude that the majority of the justices (Supreme Court Deputy President Hanan Melcer and Justice Anat Baron) expressed toward the state\u2019s arguments about the pretexts for the evictions: the need to build a major road and even concern for the welfare of the community\u2019s children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1381549532.jpg\")
Palestinian children line up at the start of the new school year, in the West Bank Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar, Monday, July 16, 2018<\/strong>Credit:\u00a0Nasser Nasser,AP
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnyone familiar with the reality on the ground, and in the territories in general, knows that often the reason for removing Palestinian residents is the desire to replace them with Jewish settlers<\/a>, whether by expanding an existing Jewish community or establishing a new one. This rumor apparently reached the justices\u2019 ears, as they wrote that if it turns out that the land is used for something other than the state\u2019s declared purpose, the petitioners could return to court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As far as the settlement enterprise is concerned, there\u2019s no great reason to celebrate here, and the joy expressed by the defense minister was premature. Nor can one ignore Melcer\u2019s criticism of the state\u2019s hasty rejection of an alternative proposal submitted by the petitioners. \u201cThe plan in question was rejected only a few hours after it was submitted by the planning bureau administrator, and apparently this was not done by the agency authorized to do so,\u201d he said. Since the campaign had already been decided in the previous ruling, it\u2019s worth reviewing its problematic nature. The legal thesis is seemingly persuasive in its simplicity \u2014 zoning laws must be respected, and anyone who violates them and builds without a permit deserves to have his home demolished. Otherwise, there would be no value or validity to planning and building laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \u25cfEverything you need to know about the West Bank Bedouin village at the eye of a diplomatic storm<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n