24 February 2017
Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank continue to accelerate. On the 19 February 2017, Israeli authorities issued demolition orders to 40 homes and an elementary school Khan Al Ahmar.
UNRWA has said “almost every structure” is under threat, affecting the homes and livelihoods of almost 140 people in the village, of whom almost half are children.
Robert Piper, the UN’s aid and development co-ordinator for the Occupied Palestinian territories, said “the developments in al-Khan al-Ahmar are not unique. Thousands of families [in the West Bank] live in fear of demolitions at any moment, and entire communities exist in chronic instability. When schools are demolished, the right to education of Palestinian children is also threatened. This creates a coercive environment that forces certain Palestinian communities to move elsewhere. The international community must work together to provide assistance and protection to vulnerable communities and insist that international law is respected.”
Last year a cross party delegation of parliamentarians visited Khan Al Ahmar. Read about their visit below:
Featured image: MPs visit the Bedouin community of Khan Al Ahma