Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud AbbasReuters

The Fatah Revolutionary Council, headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday stressed its opposition to "the plans of the occupation to isolate the city of Jerusalem from its surroundings and the right of our people to fight these plans."

The Revolutionary Council, which met near the illegal Bedouin encampment Khan al-Ahmar, issued a statement claiming that the intention to demolish the Bedouin community is part of Israel's policy of "ethnic cleansing" and "forced expulsion" as well as an attempt to bury the two-state solution.

"The acts of the occupation continue with the encouragement of President Trump's administration, which denies international legitimacy and renounces its commitments to a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict and tries to impose the ‘Deal of the Century,’" the Fatah statement said.

The Revolutionary Council noted that Israel's policy should lead to the implementation of the decisions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Council regarding the reexamination of relations between the Palestinians and Israel as the "occupying power."

Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin encampment with just over 170 residents, was built without any building permits or authorization, and sits in part on land belonging to the nearby Israeli community of Kfar Adumim.

First built in the 1990s, Khan al-Ahmar has received assistance from European governments to build illegal structures, including a school.

Years of legal battles culminated in a Supreme Court ruling upholding lower courts’ decisions which found Khan al-Ahmar to be illegal. The court ordered the government to evacuate residents and demolish the town.

In May, the Supreme Court rejected the final appeals made on Khan al-Ahmar’s behalf, paving the way for its removal.

Last week, however, the Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the demolition of the illegal village following an appeal by the residents.