Holding posters of German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a scheduled visit to Israel, Bedouin children on Tuesday appealed to her to help block Israeli plans to raze their village.
The case of Khan al-Ahmar, an illegally built village located off the highway that runs through the West Bank from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, has garnered massive international attention.
Israel's plan to demolish the village and relocate its 180 resident to a site 12 kilometers (7 miles) away has drawn criticism from Palestinians and some European states, which said the move would hinder peace efforts.
Khan al-Ahmar's residents, backed by foreign activists who have gathered at the site, have been waiting for bulldozers to move in at any time after the Oct. 1 deadline from Israel for the villagers to demolish their own homes expired.
The Palestinians claim that razing the Bedouin village is part of an Israeli plan to create an arc of Jewish settlements that would effectively cut off east Jerusalem, which they seek as the capital of their future state, from the West Bank.
Israel maintains that Khan al-Ahmar, which sits between the communities of Maale Adumim and Kfar Adumim, was built without the required permits. Palestinians say such documents are impossible to obtain.
The United Nations, European Union and human rights groups have urged Israel not to demolish Khan al-Ahmar, citing the serious impact on the community and prospects for peace.
"When I walk to school every day, I'm afraid my school will already have been demolished," said Muna Abu Dahouk, 12.
She and several other children carried posters of Merkel on which appeals for her help were scrawled.
The German leader is due in Israel on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a meeting of Israeli and German ministers.
There was no word from Israel on Tuesday on when the village would be razed. Pro-Palestinian activists speculated that the eviction would not be carried out until after Merkel leaves on Thursday.
