Jerusalem: Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), Minister Moayad Shaaban, has expressed serious concerns over the recent decision by Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich to proceed with the evacuation of the Khan al-Ahmar Bedouin community, located east of occupied Jerusalem. This decision, according to Minister Shaaban, marks a significant escalation in the policy of forcible displacement against the Palestinian people.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, Shaaban highlighted that this move reveals the intent of Israel's far-right government to advance annexation and colonial expansion projects. He emphasized that the actions taken are part of a strategic plan to impose territorial changes by force in the occupied Palestinian territories, specifically targeting the eastern area of occupied Jerusalem. This strategy aims to create territorial continuity between colonies, effectively severing the northern and southern parts of the West Bank, and undermining the prospects for a geographically contiguous and viable Palestinian state.
Shaaban further elaborated that Khan al-Ahmar has become a symbol of Palestinian resilience against displacement policies. Despite facing broad international opposition, the community remains under threat of evacuation. He noted that these actions continue even with the International Criminal Court's stance that such forcible transfers are considered war crimes under international law. The policies pursued by Israel, he argued, breach international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the forced transfer of protected persons under occupation.
The evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, he warned, could set a precedent leading to the displacement of other Palestinian communities in the Jerusalem periphery and the Jordan Valley. This is seen as part of a larger plan to reshape Palestinian geography by force, favoring colonial settlement expansion. Shaaban called on the international community, the United Nations, and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their responsibilities and take immediate action to stop these policies.
Shaaban concluded by stressing that international silence in the face of these violations only emboldens the occupation authorities, further diminishing the chances for a just peace based on international law and resolutions.