The state filed a request with the Jerusalem District Court to delay the deadline for submitting its response to the administrative petition filed by the Regavim movement regarding the demolition of the illegal Bedouin outpost Khan al-Ahmar.
In the motion submitted to Judge Tamar Bar-Asher, the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office explained that the reason for the delay is "urgent matters", including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the United States and the need for "urgent consultations." The state is requesting an additional 30 days to formulate its final position after consulting all relevant parties.
The petition, filed last September, demands that the state implement demolition orders against the illegal settlement Khan al-Ahmar, which is located on state lands.
Regavim asserts that despite repeated state commitments to enforce the demolition orders, nothing has been done and additional structures have been added on the site. In 2018, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, "Khan al-Ahmar will be evacuated very soon", but to date no action has been taken.
Attorney Avi Segal, representing the movement, did not formally oppose the request but emphasized that the site is an illegal compound where an initial petition was already filed 18 years ago. Segal asked that attention be paid to the prolonged delay in legal proceedings and demanded that, if the court grants the request, it be "a final extension."
Meir Deutsch, Regavim's CEO, said, "The Khan al-Ahmar outpost has become a symbol of the Palestinian struggle against the occupation." He added that, despite the government's recent achievements, the next critical step is to enforce the law and demolish the outpost. "The demolition of this illegal camp is definitely not beyond Netanyahu," Deutsch concluded, referring to the government's achievements in the war with Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and Syria.