THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has issued a warning that if Israel goes ahead and destroys a Palestinian Bedouin village on the West Bank that could constitute a war crime.
Israel's Supreme Court recently rejected a final appeal against plans to demolish the village, Khan al-Ahmar.
In a statement Wednesday, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda says "evacuation by force now appears imminent."
Bensouda adds that the "extensive destruction of property without military necessity and population transfers in an occupied territory constitute war crimes" under the Rome Statute treaty that established the ICC.
Israel says Khan al-Ahmar was built illegally and has offered to resettle its residents a few miles (kilometers) away. Palestinians and other critics say the demolition aims to displace Palestinians in favor of Israeli settlement expansion.
