Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured his right-wing base that the delay in the demolition of the West Bank herding village of Khan al-Ahmar was temporary and that a timetable would be set by a Sunday cabinet meeting.
"Khan al-Ahmar will be evacuated, this is a court decision, this is our policy and it will also be implemented,” the Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as stating.
“I do not intend to postpone this until further notice, contrary to the publications,” he added.
Israel’s High Court of Justice had ruled that there was no legal barrier to the demolition of the village, but that it preferred to see a negotiated resolution.
Right-wing politicians and activists immediately condemned the delay and called on Netanyahu to rescind it.
Repeated clashes have broken out in Khan al-Ahmar over recent weeks, as the Israeli occupation army cracked down on the locals and carried out road works so that it could more easily demolish the village’s residential tents and shacks.