Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality
פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי
منتدى التعايش السلمي في النقب من أجل المساواة المدنية

Yesterday,
26/09/10, several dozens of activists and people from Al-Araqib gethered
together for a day of construction in the village. During the day the people
built a sukkah for the Jewish feast of tabernacles and decorated it according to
the tradition. In the sukkah many toys were put for the benefit of the children
of the village. Outside the sukkah a playground was built.





The activity was done by several organizations and activists including the village committee of Al-Araqib, the popular committee of Al-Araqib, Negev coexistence forum for civil equality, recognition forum, Tarabut movement and Sheikh Jarah Solidarity.

After a long day of construction the sukkah was inaugurated, the participants visited the village and heard the villagers history and the demolitions affects on them and their families. During the talk Shiekh Sayyah Al-Turi called for Arab-Jewish co-operation on the matter of Al-Araqib and in general. He asked the visitors to bring more people to the village so that everyone can witness the actions of the state and how people live in the village after it was demolished five times. He called the public to join the just struggle of the village.

During the talk Haia Noach, the director of the Negev coexistence forum for civil equality said: “Al-Araqib is one of the important and just struggles going on these days in Israel, it is one of the few struggles in which Arabs and Jews take part inside the green line, this is a struggle for a just resource distribution, this is a struggle for the image of this country. The Arab inhabitants of the country have at least as much rights as the new settlers and farm owners that recently settled in the Negev. We hope someone in the Israeli government will get back to its senses and order to stop the demolitions and enable the inhabitants of Al-Araqib to continue and live in the village and rebuild it.

The village Al-Araqib was demolished five times during the last two months. In spite of the difficult situatuon the inhabitants rebuild immidiatly light structures for their families. The struggle for Al-Araqib is a joint civil struggle of Arabs and Jews that want real justice in the Negev and a just and adequate solution to the unrecognized villages including Al-Araqib.

For more information:
Michal Rotem +972-50-9391299
Awwad Abu Freh +972-52-2714020