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Sunday, April 23, 2023
Smotrich says he rejects government’s planned retreat from evacuating Khan al-Ahmar
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Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says he opposes the reported government plan to ask the High Court of Justice to dismiss a standing petition seeking to force the state to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, an illegal Bedouin encampment in the West Bank.
Reports earlier today said the government will cite ongoing talks with the residents of Khan al-Ahmar on a compromise plan that would resettle them elsewhere, and will also claim that a forced evacuation would have far-reaching diplomatic and security consequences.
A standing court order to evacuate the village has been pushed off repeatedly for four years, largely owing to significant public interest from human rights activists, pro-Palestinian groups and the European Union. Right-wing politicians, including many in the current government, have for years been demanding that the government evacuate it.
According to various Hebrew media reports, Smotrich — a longtime advocate for demolishing the hamlet — has written a letter to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs seeking to immediately halt the filing of the state’s response to the High Court petition.
“To my surprise, I have discovered that the response does not align with my policy and the government’s policy as I understand it,” Smotrich reportedly writes, adding that according to coalition agreements, such responses must receive his approval.
“By virtue of my authority, I don’t approve the filing of the response,” he adds, demanding an “urgent discussion” on the matter.
The Times of Israel Community.