Ten Senate Democrats urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop plans to demolish two Palestinian villages in the West Bank. The Democrats, among which Bernie Sanders, Diane Feinsten and Elizabeth Warren, emphasized that the demolition of the villages, which is planned to happen during the next few weeks, would destroy the chances for peace in the region, Newsweek reported.
“We write today to urge your government not to demolish the Palestinian village of Susiya and the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar. The displacement of entire communities would be an irreversible step away from a two-state solution, and we urge your government to abandon its efforts to destroy these villages,” the letter reads.
Israeli’s defense minister Avigdor Lieberman in September said that the military wants to evacuate the villages. Even though Israel says that they were build in violation of judicial orders, Palestinian authorities claim that Israel cannot demolish them. A credible security need has to be presented by the Israeli government, Palestinian authorities say.
The letter says that 45 families call Susiya their home and survive through subsistence farming and shepherding. Senate Democrats also say in the letter that the 170 people living in Khan al-Ahmar boast a mosque and a school built out of recycled tires and mud. The school serves more than 150 children from the area, the letter reads. The demolition, senators say, would make a two-state solution and peace in the region harder to reach.
“We have long championed a two-state solution as a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, your government’s efforts to forcibly evict entire Palestinian communities and expand settlements throughout the West Bank not only directly imperil a two-state solution, but we believe also endanger Israel’s future as a Jewish democracy,” the letter says.
Democrats also cite a report by the activist group Peace Now, according to which Israel plans to build 6,742 housing units in 59 separate settlements. That number is 258 percent bigger than the number of housing units suggested in 2016.
Be the first to comment