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Demolition of Palestinian village part of ethnic cleansing: Analyst

Thursday, 05 July 2018 7:57 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 05 July 2018 8:00 AM ]

Israeli police officers secure a bulldozer demolishing structures in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank on July 4, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Israel’s plan to demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank is part of the larger process of "ethnic cleansing" of the occupied territories, says an analyst.

“What is also significant about this particular Bedouin village which is in the West Bank is that it is close to East Jerusalem. So the barbaric eradication is also related to Israel’s desire to basically wipe Palestinian presence out of Jerusalem … As I said, it is a process of ethnic cleansing, of war crimes and crimes against humanity that has been going on for 7 years,” Bruce Katz, co-president of Palestinian and Jewish Unity told Press TV in an interview on Thursday.

In recent years, Israel has expanded the authority of its military to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied territories. The Israeli army can now execute demolition orders in the so-called Area C of the West Bank just days after they are issued.

International bodies and rights groups argue that Israel’s sustained demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds are an attempt by the Tel Aviv regime to uproot Palestinians from their native territories, and confiscate more land for expansion of illegal settlements.