Gideon Sa'ar at Khan al-Akhmar
Gideon Sa'ar at Khan al-AkhmarPR

Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar, who is challenging Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the Likud party, visited the illegal Bedouin encampment of Khan al-Akhmar Tuesday, and called for the immediate demolition of the unauthorized settlement.

Sa’ar, a former minister who left politics in 2014, returning to the Knesset in 2019, is hoping to unseat Netanyahu as chairman of the Likud party in the faction’s leadership race on December 22nd.

Ahead of the primary vote, Sa’ar visited the Bedouin encampment of Khan al-Akhmar, and called for the Israeli government to act quickly to combat illegal land grabs by Palestinian Authority residents in Area C, the areas in Judea and Samaria directly administered by Israel.

“In Khan al-Akhmar, as in the rest of Area C, the question is simple,” said Sa’ar. “Who is in control – Israel, or the Palestinian Authority, which is using aide from the European Union to create facts on the ground?”

“The Supreme Court has rejected appeals against [Khan al-Akhmar’s] demolition four times. The future of Judea and Samaria will be determined by actions, not words. Evacuate Khan al-Akhmar immediately.”

“A solution needs to be found for the residents, but you have to understand that the issue here is not just about the residents, the question is who is the sovereign here and what will be the future of Area C as a whole, and here we need to take clear, continuous action.”

During his visit, Sa’ar also vowed that if he becomes premier, he will push for Israeli construction projects in E-1 – the area between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim which is considered key to cementing Israeli control over the Adumim bloc and preventing the future establishment of a Palestinian state – and in the Givat HaMatos neighborhood in south Jerusalem.