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

Update from Negev Coexistence Forum

02.05.2012

• Al Arakib demolished for 34th time
• State appeal to re-instate demolition orders in Al Sira postponed
• Ha’aretz: New Israeli police unit to enforce demolitions in Bedouin villages

 

Al Arakib demolished for 34th time

Israeli authorities demolished tents in the unrecognized village of Al-Arakib on April 23. This was the 34th time since July 2010 that Al-Arakib has been destroyed.

 

 

Also on April 23, one home was demolished in the newly-recognized village of Umm Batin, part of the Abu Basma Regional Council. Please view our online record of home demolitions for more information on other recent demolitions.

 

State appeal to re-instate demolition orders in Al Sira postponed

The Be’er-Sheva District Court postponed the Israeli state’s appeal to re-instate demolition orders on homes in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Al-Sira in late April. On December 6, 2011, the Kiryat Gat Magistrate’s Court canceled 51 demolition orders on homes in Al-Sira, a village of 500 residents. In the ruling, the judge described the demolition orders – which had been frozen since 2007 – as “disproportionate.” The state is appealing this decision, and the next hearing is expected to be scheduled for sometime in June.

 

Ha’aretz: New Israeli police unit to enforce demolitions in Bedouin villages

On April 17, Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported that the Israeli Police is creating a new unit to enforce demolitions and evacuation orders in Bedouin villages in the Negev. Made up of 200 officers, the new police unit will be established with the cooperation of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and is expected to be operational as of August 2012. To read the full story, click here.