Khan al-Ahmar
Khan al-AhmarHillel Maeir/TPS

Adnan al-Husseini, the Palestinian Authority (PA) official in charge of affairs related to Al-Quds (Jerusalem), on Wednesday blasted the Israeli Supreme Court's ruling to demolish the illegal Bedouin settlement of Khan al-Ahmar.

Khan al-Ahmar was built in the 1990s on land belonging to the Israeli town of Kfar Adumim east of Jerusalem. The encampment is home to some 170 Bedouin, who have expanded the community in recent years with the aid of foreign governments.

Israeli courts approved the outpost’s demolition, but in July the Supreme Court froze plans to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, pending an appeal by residents.

Israeli security forces had been preparing for the planned demolition, which was set to commence just hours before the court intervened.

But on Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled against the residents, rejecting their claims and clearing the way for Khan al-Ahmar’s evacuation.

Husseini called the Supreme Court's decision "unjust" and stressed that "we will do everything in our power to stop the demolition."

In a conversation with the official PA news agency Wafa, Husseini said that "our [Palestinian] people will oppose the actions of the occupation that seek to remove this village and connect the settlements to one another in an attempt to strangle the city of Al-Quds, to impose a siege on it and cut off the West Bank."

He called on the Palestinian Arab public to demonstrate in the Bedouin community and to oppose the demolition of the village and the expulsion of its residents.

Husseini also said that the PA intends to turn to international courts in an attempt to prevent Israel from destroying the village.