PA official hurt in E. J’lem clashes with Israel troops

JERUSALEM

Dozens of Palestinians were injured on Friday in clashes with Israeli troops in East Jerusalem’s Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar.

Earlier Friday, Israeli forces attacked a weekly demonstration held in Khan al-Ahmar to protest plans by the Israeli authorities to demolish the village and expel its inhabitants.

According to witnesses, dozens of protesters sustained injuries during the melee, including Walid Assaf, a top official of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA).

Over 500 protesters, including Assaf (who also heads the Palestinian Commission against the Wall and Settlements), took part in Friday’s demonstration.

On Sept. 5, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled to demolish Khan al-Ahmar and evict its inhabitants.

Israel seeks to expel some 10,000 Bedouin residents of what is known as the E1 Zone, which sits on 15 square kilometers of land (5.8 square miles) in East Jerusalem.

The planned demolition is meant to make way for a series of Jewish-only housing units linking Jerusalem to the Maale Adumim settlement.

If carried out, the plan would effectively cut the West Bank in two, preempting the possibility of a territorially-contiguous Palestinian state.