JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court has rejected a petition by the residents of a West Bank Bedouin village slated to be razed to halt the demolition.
An injunction against the plan to demolish Khan al-Ahmar, located outside of Jerusalem near Maale Adumim, expires in a week. The international community and human rights organizations have rallied in support of the village.
In their decision Wednesday, the justices also declined to delay Khan al-Ahmar’s demolition until an alternative site is found for its approximately 200 residents.
The Supreme Court had authorized the demolition in May, since the homes were built without permits. The July injunction called on the state to review a compromise offer drawn up by the locals that would legalize the village.
Critics of the demolition believe that Israel is tearing down the village in order to make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
U.N. Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov called the impending demolition “against international law” and tweeted that it would “undermine prospect for two state solution.”
