Why demolishing West Bank village will cost Israel dearly
Europe is warning Israel that demolishing Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin-Palestinian village, will constitute a war crime and lead to demands for financial compensation for facilities there provided by its members.
“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.
