‘Khan al-Ahmar to remain Palestinian land’

The Palestinian Bedouin hamlet of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank will remain Palestinian land, a young Palestinian woman who had been detained by Israeli authorities said Tuesday.

Nineteen-year-old Sare, who on July 5 was violently dragged on the ground in Khan al-Ahmar by Israeli forces after they tore off her headscarf, was released after being remanded in custody for about two weeks. Video and photos of the incident went viral on social media.

"I did not commit any crime to be taken into custody. I just tried to protect my house and homeland," she told Anadolu Agency.

Sare also thanked everyone who supported the resistance against Israel's attempt to evict the area’s residents.

On July 5, Israeli bulldozers destroyed a number of tents and other structures in Khan al-Ahmar, triggering clashes with local residents.

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

Under the 1995 Oslo agreement between Israel and Palestine, the West Bank was divided into A, B and C zones. The administrative and security authority of area A was given to Palestine while the administration of area B was given to Palestine but its security to Israel, while in area C, both administration and security authority went to Israel.

Khan al-Ahmar is located in area C.

Meanwhile, the 700-person Bedouin community in Abu Nuwar village, also located in area C, has refused to leave despite continuous threats and pressure from the Israeli authorities.