Netanyahu confirms West Bank village will be evacuated despite warnings from ICC

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the West Bank village of Khan al-Ahmar located east of Jerusalem will be evacuated. “It’s a short ruling, that’s our policy and it will be done. Not intended for postponing this, but for a short, defined period of time,” he stated. Earlier, Israeli media distributed a statement from Netanyahu’s office, claiming that Tel Aviv decided to indefinitely freeze the forced evacuation of the village. It comes days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) warned that Israel’s planned “evacuation by force” of the village could amount to “war crimes.” The people of Khan al-Ahmar have been anticipating the destruction of their homes for years, as the Israeli state eyes a settlement expansion. The village is home to the Bedouin Jahalin tribe, which was moved from its original home in the Negev desert by the military in the 1950s.