Israel razes mosque in Bedouin village in the Negev
Israel this morning bulldozed the last remaining building in the Umm Al-Hiran Bedouin village of the Negev (Naqab) desert, a mosque, to make way for the construction of Jewish-only settlements. pic.twitter.com/b3RmCcu5Pc
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) November 14, 2024
Israeli authorities this morning stormed the Bedouin village of Umm Al-Hiran in the Negev desert in southern Israel, demolishing its mosque, the village’s last remaining structure, following the prior destruction of residents’ homes.
According to Arab48, police detained three men ahead of the demolition, with their whereabouts currently unknown.
The Bedouin residents of Umm Al-Hiran, Ras Jaraba, and ten other villages nearby face imminent displacement, as Israeli authorities plan to establish new Jewish towns on the sites of these Arab villages.
Many residents chose to demolish their own homes to avoid the imposition of evacuation and demolition costs by Israeli authorities, while Israeli soldiers demolished the mosque, as shown in video footage shared by the Regional Council for Unrecognised Bedouin Villages in the Negev, a nonprofit representing these marginalised communities.A council spokesperson condemned the demolition as “another chapter in the ethnic cleansing and expulsion of Arabs in this country.”
Moreover, Israeli authorities ordered the residents of Umm Al-Hiran to evacuate by 24 November to make way for a new Jewish town, Dror, to be built on its ruins. Ras Jaraba, under the same plan, will become a neighbourhood within Dimona’s jurisdiction.
Requests from residents of both villages to be included in the new developments were rejected, with authorities demanding an immediate evacuation of Umm Al-Hiran for the establishment of a Jewish-only town.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently hailed his “strong policy of demolishing illegal homes in the Negev,” saying he has overseen a 400 per cent rise in demolition orders there since the start of 2024.
The Negev (Naqab) desert is home to some 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 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.