Khan al-Ahmar Still Standing 40 Days After Smotrich Pledge

More than 40 days have passed since Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich staged a dramatic press conference and signed an eviction order for the illegal Palestinian outpost of Khan al-Ahmar, vowing immediate action in response to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him. The outpost remains standing, untouched by Israeli authorities, while overnight Wednesday security forces demolished a Jewish hilltop community in the Hebron Hills.

The glaring disparity has reignited accusations that right-wing politicians deliver empty promises to their base while actual enforcement targets Jewish communities. Smotrich's office insisted the Khan al-Ahmar eviction remains "in process" and that quiet work behind the scenes is preferable to public announcements that could sabotage the effort.

At a May 15 press conference, Smotrich declared the ICC warrant a "declaration of war" orchestrated by the Palestinian Authority. "The PA has opened a war, and it will receive a war," he stated forcefully. "From today, every economic or other objective within my authority to strike, will be attacked. Not talk and gimmicks, actions. Immediately upon finishing my remarks here, I will sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar. I promise all our enemies: this is only the beginning."

Finance Minister Smotrich with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Haim Tsach/Government Press Office)

The order Smotrich signed that day called for demolition of the Bedouin outpost "as soon as possible." Yet 40 days later, Khan al-Ahmar continues to expand, its structures multiplying on strategic land between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea that successive Israeli governments have identified as critical to territorial contiguity.

A History of Broken Promises

Khan al-Ahmar has become the ultimate symbol of right-wing political theater. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised in 2018 that the outpost would be evacuated "within a few weeks. It won't take long." Eight years have passed, and the illegal structures have only grown in number and permanence.

Smotrich himself, as chairman of the Regavim movement, filed the original High Court petition demanding the outpost's removal. Netanyahu repeatedly delayed action for diplomatic reasons, citing international pressure. Before the 2021 elections, Srugim broadcast a special day-long program from the site titled "The Right's Promises," where every major party vowed to dismantle Khan al-Ahmar. Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beiteinu both pledged actionm then formed a government and did nothing.

Naftali Bennett (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)

When Netanyahu's current coalition took power in 2022 with Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, expectations ran high. Instead, after countless delays, the state informed the High Court it would not proceed with eviction. The issue faded from public discourse until Smotrich revived it with his May press conference.

Jewish Outpost Demolished While Palestinian One Thrives

The contrast became painfully stark early Wednesday morning when hundreds of Border Police and Civil Administration inspectors descended on Givat Beit Anot in the Hebron Hills near Kiryat Arba. At 2:30 a.m., forces demolished the homes of three families and the community's synagogue, erasing the small hilltop settlement in a matter of hours.

The timing could not have been more politically damaging for Smotrich. While his signature on the Khan al-Ahmar eviction order gathers dust, enforcement against Jewish communities proceeds with ruthless efficiency. Sources close to the finance minister told Israeli media that demolishing Khan al-Ahmar requires careful coordination to avoid international backlash, and that publicizing every step risks undermining the effort.

Critics remain unconvinced. Settler leaders and Religious Zionism activists have accused Smotrich of prioritizing optics over results, staging dramatic gestures for the cameras while allowing the legal and bureaucratic machinery to grind Jewish communities into dust. The minister's recent allocation of 3.5 billion shekels to settlements and Religious Zionist institutions has done little to quiet the anger over selective enforcement.

The Khan al-Ahmar saga also highlights deepening tensions within the coalition. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett recently declared that illegal construction in Judea and Samaria "will not stand," drawing sharp condemnation from Smotrich, who warned Bennett was paving the way for a terror state in Israel's heartland. Yet Smotrich's own record on Khan al-Ahmar suggests his rhetoric outpaces his willingness to confront the international community.

As the 40-day mark passes with no visible progress, the question facing Smotrich is whether his dramatic press conference was genuine policy or political performance art. For now, Khan al-Ahmar stands as a monument to unfulfilled promises — while Jewish families in Givat Beit Anot sift through the rubble of their demolished homes.