“The demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and the forcible transfer of its residents would constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law,” the European Parliament warned Israel in a harshly worded resolution on Sept. 12. The resolution further stated that razing the tiny West Bank Bedouin village would constitute a war crime under the Geneva Conventions given its location in occupied territory, adding that the European Union would demand compensation from Israel for the demolition of village facilities donated in part by its member states.

A day earlier, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had issued a joint statement on behalf of the bloc’s five biggest members — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — calling on Israel to reverse its decision to demolish the village.

EU representatives have for years been following the legal campaign that has pitted Khan al-Ahmar’s Bedouin residents against neighboring Israeli settlers and the state. The settlers, along the Regavim, a pro-settler organization, have petitioned the High Court, demanding that the state carry out the demolition order issued by military authorities, while village residents have petitioned the bench to prevent the razing of their village and the eviction of its inhabitants.

Regavim, on its Hebrew-language website, describes itself as “a public movement aiming to influence all systems of governance in Israel … protect the lands of the Jewish people … and prevent the takeover of these resources by foreign elements.” Indeed, following a campaign it launched in 2009, the organization influenced the “systems of governance” and “free lands” supposedly taken over by “foreign elements.” On Sept. 5, the Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch effort to appeal the demolition, giving authorities the go-ahead to raze Khan al-Ahmar.