The Arab League on Sunday urged the international community to exert immediate pressure on Israel to halt the demolition of the illegal Bedouin outpost 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.
Two weeks ago, however, the Supreme Court ruled against the residents, rejecting their claims and clearing the way for Khan al-Ahmar’s evacuation.
In a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency, the Arab League also called for Israel to be pressured to halt “the systematic settlement activities meant to isolate East Jerusalem”.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced last week that it had filed a war crimes suit against Israel following the Supreme Court's decision to allow the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar.
The PA cabinet has urged Palestinian Arabs to come en masse to the illegal Bedouin outpost and oppose any attempt to demolish the site.