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

12.09.2012

• Be’er Sheva municipality relocates wine stalls in annual festival
• ILA boasts about demolitions

Be’er Sheva municipality relocates wine stalls in annual festival

After a wave of mounting pressure from Bedouin residents in the Negev and human rights groups, the Be’er Sheva municipality agreed to sell wine during its annual wine festival outside the grounds of the city’s historical Big Mosque.

Despite this, photos that were taken during the event display the fact that people took alcoholic beverages into the mosque’s yard, contrary to the agreement that was reached between the police and the Leading Committee of Negev Arabs.

ILA brags about demolitions

This week, the Israeli Land Administration (ILA) boasted on its website that it set a new “record” in the struggle against illegal building in the Negev by demolishing 26 Bedouin structures in one day.

In a statement on the ILA website, the organization also bragged about having convinced seven Bedouin citizens to demolish their own homes to avoid paying fines or facing lawsuits.

NCF strongly condemns this recent wave of ILA demolitions in the Negev, which left numerous families without a roof over their heads. The ILA also demolished solar panels, which, for residents in Rachmeh village, served as their only source of electricity.