Netanyahu must raze Khan al-Ahmar despite int'l pressure, Likud MKs say

• Published date: 23 January 2023
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"The illegal Khan al-Ahmar outpost should be evacuated. The international community will not dictate Wild West policies to us in Israel," said MK Danny Danon, who chairs the organization World Likud

"Israel is a state of law. We must not put up with selective law enforcement. Khan al-Ahmar must be evacuated immediately."

MK Danny Danon

He spoke during a press point near the herding village of tents and huts that overlooks Route 1, just below the Kfar Adumim settlement. He was joined by the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein.

They were joined by representatives of the right-wing NGO Regavim, which filed a court case against the village in 2019. It was the latest step in their protracted legal battle against the hamlet that dates back to 2009.

"I came here today to the illegal outpost of Khan al-Ahmar in order to strengthen our government in advance of its response to the Supreme Court regarding the eviction of this site, an action that has been postponed for over six years," Danon said.

"The Khan al-Ahmar outpost was established by an unlawful Palestinian takeover of state lands and the illegal buildings here should have been vacated and demolished a long time ago.

"Israel is a state of law. We must not put up with selective law enforcement. Khan al-Ahmar must be evacuated immediately," he said.

Edelstein said the government should deliver "a sharp and clear statement: Khan Al Ahmar should be evacuated. It is forbidden to reward lawbreakers.

"The failure to raze Khan Al Ahmar legitimizes Palestinians."

"It is clear to everyone that these people have become propaganda tools in the hands of those who are anti-Israeli and are preventing the people there from receiving a proper permanent solution," Edelstein explained.

Netanyahu, Gallant create coalition crisis

Their argument has gained steam this week, not just because of the upcoming court date, but also due to Netanyahu's decision to evacuate on Friday an illegally built settler outpost in the Samaria region of the West Bank less than 24 hours earlier.

He said that he had done so out of respect for the law, a statement that immediately irked the settlement movement and right-wing politicians, who believe that the IDF has not done enough to crack down on illegal Palestinian building.

The outpost evacuation also sparked a coalition crisis, given that based on the agreement with the Regional Zionist Movement is chairman, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has also been given...