Israel demolished 50 Arab homes in the Negev since start of year

Israeli police forces demolished four homes in the Arab village of Sauda in the Negev on Wednesday, bringing the number of homes that have been razed in the Negev since the beginning of this year to approximately 50, according to Suleiman Abu Obeid, a spokesman for Al-Naqab Association for Land and Human Beings.

Abu Obeid said that about 50 houses have been destroyed this year, besides the nearly 1,000 homes that were destroyed by Israel in the Negev in 2014. He appealed to all international humanitarian and human rights organisations to “visit the Negev and watch the magnitude of the crimes committed against its people”.

About 220,000 Palestinians live in the Negev desert, half of whom reside in villages and settlements built hundreds of years ago. Israel does not recognise their ownership of the land, refusing to provide them with basic services such as water and electricity, according to residents.