400% surge in demolition of Bedouin homes in Negev

Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli, proudly announced a staggering 400 per cent rise in the demolition of Bedouin homes in the Negev in 2024 compared to the previous year.

During a meeting of the ministerial committee for Bedouin Community Affairs, he revealed a significant uptick in the enforcement of demolition orders in unrecognised villages.

Knesset Member Walid Al-Hawashla of the United Arab List condemned this escalation, emphasising that it demonstrates a clear intent to further pressure the Bedouin community and exacerbate their ongoing suffering.

“It is hardly surprising that a minister like Chikli, who played a key role in dismantling the previous government, would make such statements, especially due to the Unified List’s achievements in the Negev and beyond under that government,” Al-Hawashleh remarked.

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Al-Hawashleh further criticised the minister for boasting about a policy that compounds the hardships faced by families, children, the elderly and women who are simply living on their ancestral land, instead of working to find humane and just solutions to the housing crisis and recognising the villages.

Al-Hawashleh stressed that the Israeli government’s actions reflect a complete disregard for the rights of Arab citizens in the Negev and called on official bodies to halt these unjust demolition procedures and to support the residents of the Negev by ensuring access to decent living conditions and safe housing through dialogue and mutual acceptance among all parties involved.

The Negev (Naqab) desert is home to 51 “unrecognised” Arab villages and is constantly targeted for demolition ahead of plans to Judaise the area 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.

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