Arabs fight with police during demolition of Khan al-Ahmar Khan al-Akhmar
Arabs fight with police during demolition of Khan al-Ahmar Khan al-AkhmarWisam Hashlamoun/FLASH90

An American-French law professor arrested by Israel while protesting against the demolition of an illegal Bedouin encampment is to be deported, his lawyer said Sunday.

US-born Frank Romano, who teaches law at the Paris Nanterre University, was detained on Friday while taking part in an unauthorized demonstration at the illegal Bedouin encampment of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem.

"There is an administrative decision to deport him," lawyer Gaby Lansky told reporters.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli interior ministry could not immediately confirm such a decision.

First built in the 1990s, the outpost of roughly 170 people east of Jerusalem is at risk of being demolished at any time, despite fierce criticism from key European nations.

On September 5, Israel's supreme court upheld an order to raze it on grounds it was built without any of the necessary permits.

The village is located in a strategic spot near Israeli towns and along a road leading to the Dead Sea.

Anti-demolition activists said Romano was arrested along with two Arab protesters when they tried to block bulldozers sent in by Israeli authorities to seal off an access road to the village.

Pictures on social media show him being led from the scene by Israeli riot police.