Israeli court delays demolition of West Bank village again

Israel's Supreme Court on Tuesday approved a new delay to the controversial demolition of a Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank.

The Khan al-Ahmar community, on a strategic highway east of Jerusalem, was slated for demolition in 2018 after a ruling that it was built without Israeli permits.

Right-wing Israeli group Regavim had taken the government to court in order to force officials to raze the village, whose 200 residents have drawn international support.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing administration, which took office in December, had requested more time to decide on Khan al-Ahmar's fate, telling the court it needed an extension before presenting a plan to demolish the village.

In Tuesday's ruling, the Supreme Court granted a delay until May 1, but also expressed regret that the government was "satisfied with the current situation... postponing its response every few months".

The court imposed a fine of 20,000 shekels (around $5,750) over the government's "general attitude" to the case.

Prior administrations have delayed their decision on Khan al-Ahmar eight times.

Israeli media said the government fears Khan al-Ahmar's demolition could worsen already spiralling violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Opponents to the demolition believe levelling Khan al-Ahmar would pave the way for the expansion of Israeli settlements in the area, effectively forming a barrier between annexed east Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank.

Israel has been under international pressure to block the demolition, with European diplomats most recently visiting the community on January 30.