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Israel destroys houses near Al-Ramla

August 5, 2015 at 1:17 pm

The Israeli authorities destroyed three houses owned by Arab citizens in the village of Dahmash, near Al-Ramla on Tuesday, Quds Press has reported. This is the second time that the properties have been demolished.

According to the head of the Popular Committee for Dahmash, Arafat Ismail, Israeli police and border guards escorted the bulldozers which stormed into the village. Dahmash is not “recognised” by the Israeli authorities. The homes involved had been rebuilt after their demolition in April last year.

Speaking to Quds Press, Ismail said: “The village of Dahmash is being exposed to a second Nakba as the occupation authorities are planning to raze it and build new Israeli settlements in the area.” He pointed out that “hundreds” of residents had been forced out. However, the Assaf family, which owns the buildings, plans to rebuild them as soon as possible.

A member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament), Talab Abu-Arrar MK, said that the demolition of the homes in Dahmash, as well Arab-owned homes in the Negev Desert and other places, proves that the occupation government is persistent in ignoring its Arab citizens. The destruction at this particularly sensitive time, following the arson attack in the West Bank and the current heat wave, shows that Israel has no care about the Arab community, he claimed. “Such planned Israeli racism should be challenged by the international community.”