Israel razes Palestinian Bedouin village for 193rd time

Israeli occupation forces this morning demolished the homes of the Bedouin in Al-Araqeeb village in the Negev region for the 193rd time since 2000.

The village was last razed on 2 September, with residents setting up tents and temporary structures in place of those that were previously demolished.

This is the 11th time that the village has been razed since the start of the year.

The village was first levelled in July 2010, and every time the residents of Al-Araqeeb rebuild their tents and small homes, occupation forces return to raze them, sometimes several times in a month.

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

Bedouin in the Negev must abide by the same laws as Jewish Israeli citizens. They pay taxes but do not enjoy the same 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.

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