An end to the contentious issue of the Palestinian Bedouin community Khan al-Ahmar could be within reach, if Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet resolves to accept an agreement negotiated during the Netanyahu era between the Israeli government and its residents.  

On Wednesday the High Court of Justice accepted the new Israeli government’s request for an extension for submitting its stance on the evacuation of the West Bank Bedouin herding village of Khan al-Ahmar. The government noted that the previous government headed by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed the court in February 2020 that it was in favor of the evacuation of the village, but that since this government had only been sworn in on June 13 it needed more time to examine the necessary conditions for the outpost and carry out an in-depth inquiry of the move. The state requested a pause to the expulsions for two further months to allow for the Civil Administration to reach an agreement by which locals, who belong to the Jahalin tribe, would voluntarily relocate.  

The government proposed a deadline of September 14 to provide its opinion on a 2019 petition made by the far-right settler supporting Regavim group, who requested that the court establish a timetable for the eviction; the government were only afforded to the 5 September following following several petitions for extensions in the past. 

Over the years, Khan al-Ahmar has become an international symbol of the Israeli-Palestinian fight for land in Part C, the area of the West Bank that the Oslo Accords assigned to Israel full civil and security control. 

The government argues that Khan al-Ahmar, which is mostly comprised of temporary structures, were constructed illegally and represent a danger to the village residents due to their proximity to a highway.  But the few dozen families – who have lived at the site since the 1950s, when it was under Jordanian control, after Israel expelled them from Negev – state that they had no choice but to construct without Israeli permits, as such permits are seldom extended to Palestinians for construction in the West Bank, where Israel enjoys total control. 

In 2018, the High Court approved the demolition and evacuation of the village despite villagers receiving support from the International Criminal Court and NGOs to remain on the land. The ICC prosecutor at the time, Fatou Bensouda, declared that expelling the locals could count as a war crime.  She insisted that, if necessary, she would not hesitate to respond.  

Responding to the situation, the Friends of Jahalin group said: “we hope that the state will be wise enough to lay out a real proposal for a decent solution for members of the Jahalin tribe”. Emphasizing, that they should be afforded the same rights as their neighboring Jewish communities. The group called upon Israel to issue construction permits and guarantee equality of rights and opportunities.  

In contrast, Regavim Director-General Meir Deutsch accused the government of adopting an “ineffectual -even helpless – posture in the face of illegal construction at Khan al-Ahmar". He added, “we are gratified that even the High Court of Justice has grown weary of the government’s failure to enforce the law, to maintain order in areas under its juridistication, and to protect Israel’s national interests”.