Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich orders West Bank village evacuation amid ICC warrant threat

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced he will sign an order to evacuate the Bedouin village of Khan al‑Ahmar in the occupied West Bank. He said the move is a response to a secret request for an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him, calling the application “a declaration of war.” Smotrich warned, “From today, any economic or other target that I have the power to harm … will be attacked,” and pledged to use his authority in the Defense Ministry to carry out the eviction.

Khan al‑Ahmar, home to about 200 Palestinians, lost its legal protection in 2018 after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal to block demolition. The village lies in the contested E1 area slated for new settlement construction, a project critics say would jeopardise the prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state.

The ICC has previously issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and is reportedly seeking warrants for Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, Orit Strook and two senior military officials over alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and forced displacement related to settlement expansion. Smotrich’s retaliation follows sanctions imposed by several Western nations on him and Ben‑Gvir for alleged incitement of violence against Palestinians.