Five European countries have urged Israel not to raze a Palestinian Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank, where authorities are allowed to move ahead with the demolition as early as Wednesday. France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain on Monday issued a renewed call for Israel not to demolish the village of Khan al-Ahmar, where around 200 people live.
"The consequences a demolition and displacement would have on the residents of this community, including their children, as well as on the prospects of the two-state solution would be very serious," the countries said in a joint statement. On September 5, Israel's supreme court upheld an order to raze the village on grounds that it was built without the proper permits.
Palestinians say it is virtually impossible for them to obtain Israeli permits to build in Area C of the West Bank, where Khan al-Ahmar is situated. An order preventing the village's demolition expires within seven days of the supreme court ruling, meaning Israeli authorities can move against the village, as early as Wednesday. The Palestinians submitted a new complaint to the International Criminal Court on Tuesday against Israel in connection with the village, top Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said.
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