Israel demolishes Al-Araqeeb for 156th time

Israeli authorities demolished the Arab village of Al-Araqeeb in the Naqab area for the 156th time today.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the Israeli police had dismantled “the tents of the people of Al-Araqeeb, tore them and dragged them out of the village.”

Israeli occupation authorities have increased their demolition of Al-Araqeeb in recent months and the arrest of the village’s residents, in an attempt to force locals to leave the city.

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Located in the Naqab desert, the village is one of 51 “unrecognised” Arab villages in the area and is continuously targeted for demolition ahead of plans to Judaise the Naqab by building homes for new Jewish communities. Israeli bulldozers, which Bedouins are charged for, have demolished everything, from the trees to the water tanks, but Bedouin residents have tried to rebuild it every time.

Bedouins in the Naqab must abide by the same laws as Jewish Israeli citizens. They pay taxes but do not enjoy the equal rights and services as Jews in Israel, and the state has repeatedly refused to connect the towns to the national grid, water supplies and other vital amenities.

In its ruling, the court said the villagers had “broken into state-owned land” by rebuilding their demolished homes.