On the 12th of June, activists from the Peace Partnership organizations marched in Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank as part of a joint Israeli–Palestinian Freedom March against expulsion and ethnic cleansing, and as an act of solidarity with Palestinian residents facing imminent threat of displacement.
The march took place as part of a week of protest marking 59 years since the occupation, which also included a Jewish-Arab demonstration in Haifa and several webinars featuring a variety of guests and topics.
The Peace Partnership emphasized that “the expulsion of the residents of Khan al-Ahmar and construction in Area E1 are intended to split the West Bank in two, sever Palestinian territorial continuity, and deal a fatal blow to any chance for peace and a two-state solution. The disgraceful plans of the Netanyahu–Smotrich government constitute a war crime against one of the most vulnerable communities, and there is a moral obligation to oppose them.”
Jamil Kassis from Combatants for Peace stated in response: “We came today to Khan al-Ahmar to strengthen and express support for the residents against the expulsion and against the ethnic cleansing being carried out by the Israeli government together with settlers in the area.”
Nihaya Vishahi, a Hadash candidate for the Knesset, emphasized in her remarks that “Khan al-Ahmar is not only a village, but a symbol of the Palestinian people’s steadfastness against policies of expulsion, against demolitions, and against the ethnic cleansing promoted by occupation governments together with extremist settlers. The struggle over Khan al-Ahmar is the struggle over the right to remain on the land — a struggle over the future.”
MK Ofer Cassif said: “I want to commend the residents of Khan al-Ahmar who are standing firm against a violent tsunami of occupation and its enablers. We are with you and we will never give up. The residents of Khan al-Ahmar have been expelled several times — let us not forget that the Nakba has never ended. The real reason for the destruction of Khan al-Ahmar today is not an international arrest warrant, but what Smotrich declared in 2017: the implementation of the ‘Decisive Plan,’ a plan whose aim is to expel the Palestinian people from their homeland.”
MK Ayman Odeh praised the residents for their steadfastness and added that “the resilience of the residents is what has first and foremost stopped the expulsion plans, and also thanks to people of conscience and genuine democrats from the Jewish-Israeli public who are doing important work, the occupation will end and eventually there will be peace.”
Former MK Dov Khenin said: “We are here today as part of marking 59 years since the occupation. The occupation is a terrible disaster that has befallen all of us. It is, of course, a disaster for the Palestinians, depriving them of their basic right to independence, but it is also a disaster for Israelis and is the source of ongoing insecurity and constant, almost irrational war. The Israeli–Palestinian conflict did not begin in 1967; it is not the first disaster that befell the Palestinian people. 1948 was mentioned — that number marks the depth of the problem. But 1967 is the number that marks the possibility of a solution, and therefore the key to ending the conflict is, first and foremost, ending the occupation.”
