Israeli policemen scuffle with Palestinian demonstrators in the Bedouin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar east of Jerusalem on July 4, 2018. Photo: Flash90.

i24 News – Israel’s High Court on Sunday rejected a petition demanding that the residents of an illegally built West Bank village be immediately cleared off the territory. The eviction will be postponed until state authorities find an appropriate time, as per the court’s decision.

Khan al-Ahmar, a village located near the Israeli city of Ma’ale Adumim and home to Bedouin from the Jahalin tribe, has stood as a thorn in the side of the last few governments.

In their ruling on Sunday, the justices said that they accept the government’s argument that the West Bank villagers cannot be evicted at the moment “for reasons having to do to the state’s internal security and foreign relations.”

The court order to evacuate the illegally built village has been repeatedly postponed for the past four years, largely due to pressure from human rights activists, pro-Palestinian groups, and the European Union.

The ruling comes as a blow to right-wing organizations that have for years sought to have the village razed; it is expected to increase the tension between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the hard-right flank of his government, which includes several politicians who have long militated for the encampment to be removed.