Israel destroys village then sues
Amnesty International has reported that residents of a Bedouin village in Israel’s Negev desert may have to bear the cost of Israeli government agencies destroying their homes.
Villagers are facing a lawsuit after Israeli authorities filed a claim for US$500,000 for the expense of destroying the structures and evicting the residents of al-‘Araqib village as many as 28 times over the past year.
The most recent eviction took place on 25 July when a children’s summer camp was interrupted when Israeli authorities entered the village with vehicles and a bulldozer to demolish makeshift structures.
While Israeli authorities have claimed the Bedouins are squatting illegally in an unrecognized settlement, there is a counter-claim that the village of al-‘Araqib lies on ancestral lands.
In the early 1950s, the Israeli authorities ordered the village’s residents to leave temporarily, saying that the land was needed for military training.
They promised that they would be allowed to return within six months.
The residents complied with the military order but they were not allowed to return until the late 1990's.
By then, some Israeli authorities had made plans to build a forest on the village.
Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director said: "This lawsuit beggars belief. The Israeli authorities cannot reasonably expect the Bedouin villagers to fund the repeated destruction of their own homes and livelihoods. Israel must end its policy of demolishing 'unrecognized' villages in the Negev and take steps to officially recognize al-‘Araqib and similar villages."
Some 250-300 people lived in al-‘Araqib before the demolitions began last year.
Source: Middle East News.Net
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