Israeli forces clear protest camp near Khan al-Ahmar

Israeli forces have dismantled several camps that were set up by Palestinian protesters close to Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar due to be demolished.

Activists had built a number of huts and held a sit-in near the Bedouin village, home to nearly 200 people, in the occupied West Bank that is slated for demolition by Israel.

Israeli forces arrived at the village before dawn on Thursday and dismantled the protest camps, according to witnesses.

Protesters chanted “Out, out, terrorist army,” as the trucks and soldiers left after daybreak, witnesses told AP news agency.

“At 5am [local time] this morning Israeli forces moved in. They stayed on the outskirts of the village, an area where there were a few temporary structures that had been put up by activists in solidarity,” Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from Khan al-Ahmar, said.

“They prevented access to anyone else as they demolished those structures and took them away,” he said.

Khan al-Ahmar is located close to an Israeli highway that runs from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea in the occupied West Bank.

Israel’s plan to demolish the village and relocate its residents has been criticised by Palestinians and drawn international condemnation.

Last week, Israel’s top court rejected petitions to prevent the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, agreeing with Israeli authorities who said it was built without proper permits.

Palestinians say that the required building permits are impossible to obtain.