Israel arrests four activists in E. J'lem Bedouin hamlet

Israeli forces on Monday rounded up four activists, including a foreigner, during a rally in support of a Bedouin hamlet in East Jerusalem, which is at the risk of demolition by Israeli authorities.

“Scores of activists stood up against an Israeli military force and bulldozers that stormed the Khan Al-Ahmar community and forced them out of the area,” Abdullah Abu Rahma, the coordinator of a local committee overseeing Israeli settlement building in the area, told Anadolu Agency.

He said four activists, including a foreigner, were detained by Israeli forces.

“We will stand up against any Israeli attempt to demolish the Khan Al-Ahmar community,” Abu Rahma said.

On Sept. 5, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled to demolish the Bedouin community and evict its inhabitants.

Israel plans to expel some 10,000 Bedouin residents of what is known as the E1 Zone, which sits on 15 square kilometers (5.8 square miles) of land in East Jerusalem, to make way for housing units linking Jerusalem to the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.

If implemented, the plan would effectively cut the West Bank in two, preempting the possibility of a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.

In early July, Israeli bulldozers destroyed a number of tents and other structures in Khan Al-Ahmar, sparking clashes with local residents.

There are 46 Bedouin communities -- inhabited by some 3,000 residents -- scattered across Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem.

Under the 1995 Oslo agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), the West Bank -- including East Jerusalem -- was divided into Areas A, B and C.

Area A falls under the administrative and security control of the PA; Area B falls under the administrative control of the PA and the security control of Israel; and Area C -- in which Khan Al-Ahmar is located -- falls under the administrative and security control of Israel.