Khan al-Ahmar
Khan al-AhmarHillel Maeir/TPS

Eight European countries at the United Nations, including five Security Council members, on Thursday called on Israel to reverse its decision to demolish the illegal Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, AFP reported.

Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands warned that the demolition of the village "would severely threaten the viability of the two-state solution".

"We therefore call upon the Israeli authorities to reconsider their decision to demolish Khan al-Ahmar," the countries said in a joint statement released ahead of a council meeting on the Middle East.

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.

Earlier this month, however, the Supreme Court ruled against the residents, rejecting their claims and clearing the way for Khan al-Ahmar’s evacuation.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) later announced 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.