Al-Khalil - Nuland WASHINGTON, July 24 (KUNA) -- US officials are concerned that the Israeli government appears to have petitioned its high court to allow the demolition of Palestinian homes in about eight villages in Al-Khalil (Hebron), State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.
Nuland was asked during a department briefing about the announcement by the Israeli army that it was seeking to take over the villages for military training and as a firing range, an act that would dislocate about 3,000 residents.
"If these demolitions are allowed to go forward -- and there has not yet been a court decision -- it would be counterproductive to achieving our shared goal of peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors," Nuland said. "So we continue to urge all parties, as the secretary (Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) did when she was in the region, to refrain from any kind of unilateral actions." (end) rm.bs KUNA 242157 Jul 12NNNN