Bezalel Smotrich Orders Khan Al-Ahmar Evacuation After ICC Arrest Warrant Reports

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich ordered the evacuation of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, framing the move as retaliation after reports that the International Criminal Court prosecutor may seek an arrest warrant against him.

“The ultra-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Tuesday that he signed an order for the immediate evacuation of the Khan al-Ahmar settlement east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Hague court’s confidentiality over requests and plans for warrants was cited, while the ICC has already issued arrest warrants for other Israeli figures including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to face war crimes charges connected to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

Al-Jazeera Net

Smotrich said attempts to arrest him marked a “declaration of war,” and he pledged that “From today, any economic or other target that I have the power to harm within the framework of my powers as Minister of Finance and as a minister in the Ministry Defense will be attacked.”

He said his first target would be Khan Al-Ahmar, and he signed a directive calling for the immediate evacuation of the village, which Peace Now said could see demolition of village structures take place within weeks.

The village is described as being east of Jerusalem in the heart of the West Bank, with Israel saying it was built illegally on state land and critics saying it is nearly impossible to get a construction permit and that demolition would clear the way for new Jewish settlements.

In a separate account, The Guardian said Smotrich told reporters that the ICC prosecutor had sought a confidential arrest warrant against him and that he would retaliate by waging a “war” on the Palestinian Authority.

The Guardian quoted Smotrich saying, “The Palestinian Authority has started a war, and it will get a war,” linking the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar to measures against the authority that exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank under agreements with Israel.

CGTN

A senior Palestinian official, Wasel abu Youssef, said the forced evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar was “very dangerous” and called for a firm international response to stop what he called further crimes.

The ICC prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the warrant request, citing the confidentiality of the process, while the ICC previously said its prosecutor is independent and impartial when selecting situations to investigate.

The Guardian also reported that Smotrich described the court as “antisemitic” and said he had been told the ICC prosecutor “submitted a secret request for an international arrest warrant against me.”

Peace Now said the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar is part of a broader government plan to take control of the entire central West Bank area, build in E1, and remove Palestinian communities from the region, warning it could devastate prospects for future peace and a resolution of the conflict.

“Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich dropped a political bombshell Tuesday, revealing in a dramatic press conference that the International Criminal Court prosecutor in The Hague had submitted a secret request for an international arrest warrant against him”

JFeed

In the same framing, the Peace Now material said the expulsion of Khan al-Ahmar is “part of a broader government plan to take control of the entire central West Bank area,” and it described the E1 project as a fatal blow to the possibility of a peace agreement and a viable Palestinian state.

The WAFA Agency reported that CWRC head Minister Moayad Shaaban said the decision signed by Smotrich to move forward with the evacuation constitutes a dangerous escalation in the policy of forcible displacement, and he warned it would set a dangerous precedent that could accelerate displacement of dozens of other Palestinian communities.

WAFA quoted Shaaban warning that the policy of forcible displacement constitutes a grave breach of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the forcible transfer of protected persons under occupation.

The sources also tied the Khan al-Ahmar decision to the E1 settlement plan described as involving 3,401 housing units, with a tender expected to open for bids on June 1, 2026, and close on July 6, 2026, and a hearing on petitions scheduled for June 15, 2026.