Israel razes Araqeeb village in Negev for 236th time

The Israeli authorities demolished on Monday morning all the tents and structures in the Palestinian Bedouin village of Araqeeb in the Negev desert for the 236th time, displacing its residents, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

According to local sources, Israeli police and employees from the Bedouin development authority — which is responsible for such demolitions — stormed the village and wreaked havoc.

Consequently, dozens of Bedouin citizens, including children, have become homeless once again and will suffer from the harsh weather conditions of the desert for a while before they can get makeshift homes put up again.

Araqeeb residents live in a constant state of fear because they expect the demolition of their village at any moment after they manage to rebuild their homes. About 80 people live in crude homes there.

An estimated 80,000 Bedouin Palestinians, who carry Israeli citizenship, live in several Negev communities, which are often denied vital services, including water, electricity and educational facilities.

The demolition of Araqeeb and other villages in the Negev is believed to be a systematic Israeli policy aimed at expelling the native population from the Negev and transferring them to government-zoned areas to pave the way to expand and build settlements for Jewish communities.

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