Israel demolishes Palestinian village for 90th time

November 1, 2015
Issue 


Bedouins living in Israel's southern Negev region protest against government plans to confiscate their land.

A Bedouin Palestinian village was demolished by the Israeli authorities on October 28 for the 90th time since 2010, TeleSUR English said that day. The demolition was part of the Israeli government's crackdown on what it calls “unrecognised” villages in the area.

Al-Araqib is one of more than 40 “unrecognised” villages scattered across the Negev region.

Accompanied by heavily armed police officers, bulldozers rolled through al-Araqib the remaining homes.

The Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights estimates that 22 families made up of 110 people live in al-Araqib. The villagers return and rebuild after each demolition.

Meanwhile, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel estimated 80,000 Bedouin Palestinians who carry Israeli citizenship live in the communities that are often denied state services, including water, electricity, garbage pickup and education facilities.

Israel claims the homes in “unrecognised” villages were built illegally without official permits. However, locals say they were moved there by the state after being displaced from their original homes when Israel was founded in 1948.

The demolition news comes amid heightened tension between Israel and Palestinians as clashes continue in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, including children, and thousands injured. The Israeli army uses live ammunition against Palestinian protesters, who resist with rocks.

The clashes were sparked by successive incursions by hard-line Israeli groups into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.

[Abridged from TeleSUR English.]

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