Israel Begins Preparations to Demolish Palestinian Village

Ramallah – Israeli police attacked activists and inhabitants of the Bedouin village of Jan al Ahmar, in the West Bank today, protesting against the imminent demolition of the town by Tel Aviv forces.

The first Israeli excavators arrived on Wednesday at the site as part of the construction of the so-called IS Corridor, which will connect Jerusalem with the Jewish colony of Maale Adumim.

The Palestinian news agency Maan released videos and photos of Israeli policemen beating civilians who have been trying for days to prevent the demolition of Jan al Ahmar, where 181 people live, more than half of them children.

Several activists in protest were placed in front of the bulldozers to block their movement, while others rebuked the Israeli troops.

The day before Jan al Ahmar was declared a closed military zone as part of the demolition plans, condemned by the international community.

IS Corridor will promote the destruction of 46 Bedouin villages in the West Bank, said Saleh Raafat, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In an interview with the radio ‘Voice of Palestine’, Raafat said that the objective of Tel Aviv is to split the areas controlled by the Palestinian government in the West Bank and to Judaize Jerusalem.

A statement from the Palestinian Foreign Ministry yesterday denounced ‘the ethnic cleansing by the occupation authorities’ in that territory.

At the same time, the Foreign Ministry criticized the Judaization plan in the eastern zone of Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, through the creation of a network of avenues that connect the colonies with that city to eliminate the possibility of geographical communication between parts of the West Bank.