Israeli occupation forces have again attacked the residents of the Bedouin Khan al-Ahmar area near Jerusalem, declaring it a closed military zone.
Israel stepped up its offensive by preventing supporters from entering the area and arresting some of them, as well as confiscating their vehicles.
Some activists were also beaten in the area which the occupation forces are seeking to completely demolish and to expel its residents.
Protesters, including women and residents, were subjected to various forms of repression and violence.
The second Israeli attack followed a first attack on Wednesday, when the residents of Khan al-Ahmar were ordered to evacuate the area. The Israeli forces also executed a decision to take control of all roads leading to the zone.
Residents of Khan al-Ahmar arrived from the Negev desert in 1953. Since then, they lived in conditions that lacked the most basic necessities, until Israel decided to expel them ten years ago.
Bedouins in the area have been engaging in a peaceful confrontation since 2009 against demolition orders. However, the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected their petitions at the end of May and supported the demolition, giving the state the freedom to choose the timing of execution.
Some 200 Bedouins face the threat of being deported from their land, while hundreds of students from nearby communities have been prevented from taking advantage of the school built in the village years ago.
The United Nations, the European Union and the Arab League called on Israel to cancel the demolition plans, which they described as a violation to the international law.
UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on his Twitter account: “Such actions are contrary to international law and undermine the two-state solution.”
In a statement, the EU said that Israel’s settlement policy was illegal under international law, and so were actions taken in that context against Palestinians, such as forced transfers, evictions, demolitions and confiscations of homes.
“The EU expects the Israeli authorities to reverse these decisions and fully meet its obligations as an occupying power under International Humanitarian Law,” the EU statement said.
The Arab League, for its part, underlined that the forced displacement of Khan Al-Ahmar residents was aimed at paving the way for the “expansion of illegal colonial construction in occupied East Jerusalem and for completing the plan to isolate Jerusalem and separate the northern West Bank from its southern part.”
