Israeli court orders Bedouins to pay for cost of demolishing their own homes

Palestine

Published: 2017-08-24 11:02

Last Updated: 2024-04-26 08:21


Demolished house in the village of al-Araqib. (Photo Credit: Emanuel Yellin)
Demolished house in the village of al-Araqib. (Photo Credit: Emanuel Yellin)

Israel has bulldozed the village of al-Araqib in the Naqab desert over 100 times since 2010, with an Israeli court ruling that six residents must pay for cost of demolition, reports Haaretz.

The village, inhabited by al-Turi Bedouin Arab tribe, is one of many in the Naqab desert which Israel is demolishing to expel Arabs from their homelands. 

After the Arab-Israeli war in 1948, Israel has displaced over 90% of the Bedouin population in the norther Naqab desert; close to 100,000 people. 

Bedouin civilians show perseverence in wake of forced expulsion, with some reports claiming that housing structures are built faster than the state can demolish them. 

Israeli occupation forces have also uprooted many olive trees belonging to the villagers, along with issuing court rulings that find Bedouins as unrecognized occupants in their homeland. 

Some reports suggest that in some of the demolition cases, left-wing Israeli activists were present and mildly clashed with police forces.