New field documentation by the Regavim Movement reveals that the illegal outpost of Khan al-Ahmar continues to expand, even a year and a half after the most recent developments in its legal saga. Since Regavim first brought attention to this illegal site 14 years ago, Khan al-Ahmar has become a central issue in the struggle over the Adumim Region and the broader area of Judea and Samaria.
Strategically located near Highway 1, between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea in the E1 area, Khan al-Ahmar has been the focus of six separate High Court of Justice petitions, numerous demolition orders, and repeated government commitments that remain unfulfilled. The expansion underscores the complexities and ongoing challenges surrounding the enforcement of legal and political decisions in this sensitive and contested region.
On May 7, 2023, the High Court of Justice ruled that the state had discretion over the timing of the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, considering security and political factors. The court rejected a petition demanding the evacuation of the illegal shantytown which had been filed by the Regavim movement.
Justices Alex Stein, Noam Solberg, and Ofer Grosskopf upheld the state’s position that the illegal outpost would eventually be evacuated, but at a time deemed appropriate by the authorities, taking into account foreign relations and national security considerations.
This marked a change in the High Court’s stance, which had previously only granted extensions to the state to submit responses to the petition. The court now confirmed that the evacuation date would be determined by the state alone.
Regavim had routinely filed petitions with the High Court seeking updates on the evacuation, but it now appeared that any future petitions on the matter would be deemed irrelevant and rejected.
The expansion of Khan al-Ahmar underscores growing concerns over the enforcement of legal decisions and the broader implications for strategic control in this sensitive region. As has been the case for decades, Khan al-Ahmar represents an existential battleground between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Located at the narrowest point of the peanut-shaped “west bank,” Khan al-Ahmar dominates the E1 corridor, which in turn dominates the future of a Palestinian State.
If Israel succeeds in evacuating the squatters from Khan al-Ahmar, it could finally go about constructing a sprawling suburb of Jerusalem, connecting the capital with the Maale Adumim settlements complex. As a result, all hope for a contiguous Palestinian State would vanish.
On the other hand, should Khan al-Ahmar remain intact, the narrow hips of the “west bank” would remain Arab, making the future Palestinian State a reality.
Regavim’s field staff has documented the addition of five new structures at the Khan al-Ahmar site. And so, despite six High Court rulings mandating the site’s removal, the outpost is expanding rather than being dismantled.
In response, Regavim’s Legal Division has issued an urgent letter to Defense Minister Israel Katz, Central Command General Avi Blut, and Head of the Civil Administration Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, calling for immediate enforcement against the illegal expansion.
“These new structures highlight the alarming trend of illegal Palestinian Authority appropriations in Area C,” the Regavim letter states, “particularly in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, posing an imminent strategic threat to Israel’s capital.”
“The challenge to Israel’s security and governance presented by this illegal compound has been made abundantly clear in judicial decisions that have emphasized your duty to uphold and enforce the law against the rampant illegal construction,” Regavim reminded the authorities responsible for enforcement in Judea and Samaria, “so much so that the very name of this encampment has become a catchword for lack of governance and for rewarding criminality. Enforcement in this exemplar case is particularly important. There is no vacuum; in the void of law enforcement, criminals rejoice.”