Israeli forces have dismantled several shacks that were set up by Palestinian protesters close to the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.
Activists had erected a number of huts near the village, home to nearly 200 people, in the occupied West Bank that is slated for demolition by Israel.
Israeli forces arrived at the village before dawn on Thursday and dismantled the protest camp, according to witnesses.
“We hope that… it will satisfy them that they succeeded in destroying the five houses. It was not our battle to fight, defending the empty houses. Our battle is to defend the houses of Khan al-Ahmar…,” Walid Assaf, head of the commission against the wall and settlements, told Al Jazeera.
The pre-dawn operation raised fears among residents that the demolition would occur soon, but the Israeli forces left the area after they removed the shacks.
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| Israeli forces removed shacks close to Khan al-Ahmar village [Mussa Qawasma/Reuters] |
“At 5am [local time] this morning Israeli forces moved in. They stayed on the outskirts of the village, an area where there were a few temporary structures that had been put up by activists in solidarity,” Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from Khan al-Ahmar, said.
“They prevented access to anyone else as they demolished those structures and took them away,” he said.
Khan al-Ahmar is located close to an Israeli highway that runs from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea in the occupied West Bank.
Israel’s plan to demolish the village and relocate its residents has been criticised by Palestinians and drawn international condemnation.
Last week, Israel’s top court rejected petitions to prevent the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, agreeing with Israeli authorities who said it was built without proper permits.
Palestinians say that the required building permits are impossible to obtain.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
