EU should prevent demolition of Palestine's refugee community - EP

BRUSSELS, March 9 (KUNA) -- The European Parliament's Delegation for relations with Palestine urged the EU Thursday to act urgently to prevent the demolition of Khan Al-Ahmar, a Bedouin refugee community in Palestine's West Bank.
The Delegation has visited Khan Al-Ahmar recently whilst on mission to Palestine and met the community there. Chair of the Delegation Neoklis Sylikiotis, urged in a letter to EU High Representative Federica Mogherini "140 people, more than half of them children and already living in precarious conditions, are under threat of losing their homes in the rain and cold of winter, the EU must act now to ensure that these people can keep their homes." Sylikiotis added "These demolition orders and similar ones by the Israeli authorities have a sole objective to enlarge the settlements and divide the West Bank and we strongly oppose all actions that are part of the annexation policy of Israel." Moreover, Israel gave the community a 7-day deadline for self-demolition started last Sunday, in which if they do not demolish their own homes, the Israeli Civil Administration could demolish the structures.
Khan Al-Ahmar is in an area earmarked for illegal Israeli settlement expansion and has strategic importance to preserve the continuity of a future Palestinian state. (end) nk.mys