The Israeli occupation authorities demolished the Arab village of Al-Araqib for the 208th time this morning, Aziz Al-Turi, a member of the Local Committee for the Defence of Al-Araqib, has revealed. “The people will rebuild their village,” Al-Turi told Anadolu.
The last time that the Israeli authorities demolished the homes in the village was in early October; the first demolition took place in July 2010. Since then, the homes have been demolished every time that the residents rebuild them.
The Israeli government does not recognise Al-Araqib, but its residents insist on remaining on their land despite the repeated demolition of their homes. Twenty-two families live in the homes built of wood, plastic and tin.
According to Zochrot, an organisation Israeli Jewish and Arab activists which documents the Palestinian Nakba of 1948, Al-Araqib was built for the first time during the Ottoman period on land purchased by the residents. The organisation says that the authorities are working to expel the residents of the village in order to control their land. It notes that Israel does not recognise dozens of other villages in the Negev region, and refuses to provide any public services to them.