Israel levels Palestinian bedouin village for 14th time this year
Israeli authorities yesterday demolished the homes of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb in the southern Negev region, for the 196th time since the year 2000.
The demolition of the tents sheltering Al-Araqeeb's residents during the winter storm came less than a month after the village was last levelled on 24 November.
This is the 14th time that the Israeli authorities have demolished the tents in Al-Araqeeb 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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