100 Democratic lawmakers urge Netanyahu to reverse demolition plan for Palestinian village

Over 100 Democratic lawmakers have signed on to a letter urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt plans to demolish buildings in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Kheir in the West Bank

“We are gravely concerned that any further actions by settlers, vigilantes or the government to destroy the village of Umm Al-Kheir will traumatize this peaceful community and jeopardize the prospect of long-term peace, mutual security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians at this critical moment,” reads the letter led by Reps. Jamie Raskin, Jerrold Nadler, Jim Himes, Sara Jacobs and Dan Goldman.

“These demolitions would make vulnerable families homeless, including elderly people and children, just as the chill of winter descends on this desert community… This action, in service of making room for more settlers, settlements, and land only for Israelis, would be cruel, unjustified, and in naked violation of international law,” the lawmakers argue.

Residents of the village in the South Hebron Hills held a press conference earlier this week to raise awareness about the pending demolition, asserting that the structures earmarked for razing are built on private Palestinian land.

Residents say that the Civil Administration told them that 14 structures in the village, most of them homes, are slated for demolition since they were built illegally.

Khalil Hathaleen, the brother of Awdah Hathaleen — who was shot dead during a confrontation with a settler in the village in July — says that the residents belong to the Bedouin Jahalin tribe and have lived in the area since 1948, while “only in 1981 the first [Israeli] settlement was established near Umm al-Khair.”

Nurit Yohanan contributed to this report.