Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East, has welcomed the European Parliament's vote [1] to condemn the Israeli government's actions in Khan al-Ahmar, in Area C of the West Bank, whereby forces moved in the early hours of the Thursday morning to demolish a number of buildings in advance of an expected full demolition of the Bedouin village [2].
Khan al-Ahmar has been a consistent target of the Israeli authorities who have made several attempts to demolish it over the years, driven by the government's expansion of its illegal settlement project in the occupied West Bank [3].
Following the European Parliament vote on a resolution which sees MEPs take a strongly condemn of the plans [4], Mr Taylor, a member of the European Parliament's Palestine Delegation, said:
"Today MEPs have united to call on the Israeli government to halt its plans to demolish a Bedouin village and displace its peoples, for no reason other than it stands in the way of a settlement programme. Such reckless disregard for the human rights of a community, whose only crime is living peacefully in the path of an illegal occupying force's expansion plans will not be tolerated."
The joint resolution passed by the European Parliament follows an intervention made jointly by the EU, and a number of European government including the UK [5]. The statement had called on Israeli authorities not to go ahead with its plan, noting the 'very serious consequences' it will have on any prospect for peace in the region.
Mr Taylor, who worked on the Greens/EFA amendments to the European Parliament's cross-party motion, continued:
"The UK and Israel's European allies must join the European Parliament by going further in their condemnation of both the action already taken and the proposed full demolition of the Khan al-Ahmar village. It is not controversial to call on the Israeli government to abide by international humanitarian law and protect the inalienable human rights of all people."
"If the Israeli government pushes ahead with its plans, in full view of the world's media, it would send a chilling statement about the current administration's already questionable commitment to peace. In fact, with the Nation State law [6], which codifies apartheid in Israel, and the rapid expansion of the illegal settlement project in the occupied Palestinian territories the two-state solution has never seemed so far away."
"It is the international community's responsibility to ensure that any prospect of peace is not allowed to evaporate into conflict. We cannot afford to be timid in discharging our duty."
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