LONDON, February 8, 2012 (WAFA) – The human rights organization, Amnesty International (AI), called on Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to cancel military plans to forcibly displace around 2,300 Bedouin residents of the West Bank in order to expand area settlements, according to an AI briefing paper published Wednesday.

In “Stop the Transfer: Israel about to expel Bedouin from homes to expand settlements,” AI called on the Israeli military to order an immediate halt to all demolitions in the 20 communities affected by the plan.

Amnesty International said that verbal promises made by Israeli military officials last week not to implement pending demolition orders in Khan al-Ahmar, one of the Bedouin communities targeted for displacement in the Jerusalem district of the occupied West Bank, are insufficient.

“Thousands of Bedouin living in some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Bank are facing the destruction of their homes and livelihoods under this Israeli military plan. Many are registered refugees and some have been displaced multiple times since 1948,” said Ann Harrison, Deputy Director for Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program.

“The Israeli authorities must guarantee the right to adequate housing for residents in all 20 communities, along with Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank. This means protecting them from forced evictions and conducting genuine consultations with all of the communities,” she said.

In July 2011, Israel Civil Administration officials first told UN agencies of a plan to evict some 2,300 residents of 20 Bedouin communities in the Jerusalem district to a site approximately 300 meters from the Jerusalem municipal garbage dump.

The communities are all currently located near illegal settlements in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement bloc, many of them in areas targeted for settlement expansion.

The Israeli military considers most structures in these communities – located in Area C of the occupied West Bank, where Israel retains authority over planning and zoning – to be built illegally without the required permits.

However, construction permits are almost impossible to obtain for Palestinian communities in Area C. Most of the structures in these communities have demolition orders against them, including homes, kitchens, external toilets, animal shelters, and two primary schools.

M.S.