Israeli lawmakers demand clearance of Bedouin encampment

KHAN AL-AHMAR, West Bank (Reuters) - Two influential Israeli lawmakers demanded the clearance of a Bedouin encampment near Jerusalem on Monday, reigniting a years-long battle over the site and urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to defy international pressure.

Khan al-Ahmar has been at the heart of a battle over land rights in the West Bank for years, with international bodies including the European Union urging Israel not to evacuate the site and move its inhabitants out by force.

But the election of a new government which includes nationalist right-wing parties determined to expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank has brought new pressure to clear the encampment. The pressure has been particularly strong since the army prevented a small group of Jewish settlers setting up an outpost in the West Bank last week.

"All the necessary permissions are on the table, including the approval of the Supreme Court of Israel, it's just up to the defence minister and the prime minister to decide," said Yuli Edelstein, a Knesset deputy and chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee who joined Danny Danon, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party and former envoy to the United Nations.

"I think the sooner the actions will be taken, the less problems it will create," he said.

In 2018, after years of legal battles, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the demolition of the site, which was built without construction permits. Palestinians say such permits are virtually impossible for them to obtain.