Negev/Naqab

Israeli police detain a Bedouin woman during a march in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Al-Araqib, Negev Desert, July 24, 2016. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Israel steps up campaign against Bedouin village it demolished 173 times

Israeli forces have demolished the village of Al-Araqib 173 times. Now, in an effort to push the residents off their land, Israel is stepping up its harassment through arrests, raids, and fines.

By Oren Ziv January 28, 2020

Sheikh Sayeh Abu Madi’am in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Al-Araqib in al-Naqab, which Israeli authorities have demolished 173 times. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Sent to prison for trespassing on his own land

Israeli authorities have demolished Al-Araqib over 100 times. Before heading to prison for rebuilding and staying on his land, the village’s leader says he knows justice is on his side. “I have a good feeling I’ll be in prison alongside Netanyahu,” Sheikh Sayeh Abu Madi’am jokes, sitting in a tent in the unrecognized Bedouin village of…

By Oren Ziv December 11, 2018

A meeting at the Negev Coexistence Forum. (Negev Coexistence Forum)

In Be’er Sheva, coexistence is ‘political,’ and can get you evicted

The Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Quality has been a fixture in the city of Be’er Sheva for decades. Now, following pressure from far-right activists, the city is evicting it. By Yehudit Keshet The city of Be’er Sheva is trying to evict the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, the only place where Jews and…

By +972 Magazine January 8, 2018

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Salim Aldanfiri had his citizenship revoked decades ago. 'I don't understand why the state treats us as enemies.' (Maya Avis)

Is Israel turning its Bedouin citizens into a stateless people?

Israel has been systematically revoking citizenship from its Bedouin citizens without as much as telling them. Is this a harbinger of things to come? In Israel’s relentless war against its Arab citizens, there are few things that one can still reasonably claim to be surprised by. Jack Khoury’s article in Haaretz a few weeks ago, however,…

By Orly Noy September 15, 2017

Bedouins collect their belongings from the ruins of their demolished homes in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

For Arab citizens, ‘Jewish and democratic’ means demographic war

While much of the world justly focuses on land theft in the occupied territories, we must not forget that Israel uses the pretense of ‘Jewish and democratic’ to actively dispossess its own Arab citizens. Israeli citizens who may be feeling doubtful about the efficiency of their country’s institutions should take a hard look at the…

By Orly Noy August 22, 2017

Bedouin women collect their belongings from the ruins of their demolished homes in the village of Umm al-Hiran, Negev desert, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Israel is razing a Bedouin village to build a Jewish-only town on its ruins

Israeli authorities have promised the courts that the displaced Bedouin residents would have an opportunity to live in the new community. New documents show that is far from the case. Despite assurances made to Israel’s High Court of Justice, a new town being built on the ruins of a Bedouin village in southern Israel is…

By Edo Konrad August 10, 2017

Bedouin inspect the ruins of their demolished homes in Umm al-Hiran in the Negev desert, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Bedouin village braces for a new round of demolitions

It has been half a year since Israeli police killed Yacoub Abu al-Qi’an during the demolition of his home. Now the police are back to demolish structures donated to provide shelter to his children. By Yael Marom It has been nearly a year and a half since a police raid on the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran…

By +972 Magazine July 3, 2017

WATCH: How Israel discriminates against its Bedouin citizens

From suffering home demolitions to persistent demonization in the media, Israel’s Bedouin citizens are frequently the targets of the very attitudes they’re accused of. Read more: Israel Supreme Court: Bedouin have no indigenous rights Bedouin town slated for destruction is true test for Israelis

By Social TV June 7, 2017

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, June 1, 2011. (Dr. Avishai Teicher/CC 2.5)

Creeping censorship in a southern Israeli town

Verbal attacks by right-wing groups and politicians in Be’er Sheva are threatening both NGOs and the local university. By Daniel Beller Over the past year various entities, including right-wing movements, have been trying to close down a joint Jewish-Arab cultural institution in the southern Israeli town of Be’er Sheva. The Multaqa-Mifgash Center, founded by the…

By +972 Magazine May 31, 2017

Bedouin inspect the ruins of their demolished homes in Umm al-Hiran in the Negev desert, January 18, 2017. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Israel aims new Nakba-style weapon at Arab citizens

A new law paves the way for a fresh wave of home demolitions in Palestinian towns and villages throughout Israel. Its passing is proof that the land grab begun by Israel in 1948 never ended. By Myssana Morany What Jewish Israelis call their War of Independence, Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or “catastrophe” in Arabic.…

By +972 Magazine May 15, 2017

Activists hold a mock separation wall during a protest against the occupation on the West Bank's main Jerusalem-Hebron highway in full view of Israeli settlers, Beit Jala, West Bank, February 5, 2016. (Activestills)

The fight for justice begins at home

Rather than focusing exclusively on Israel-Palestine, Western leftists should use the occupation as a starting point to examine their own role in oppression at home. By Jakub Zahora In early October last year, dozens of activists staged a “Global Sukkot against Demolitions” demonstration in front of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) building in Jerusalem. I…

By +972 Magazine March 6, 2017

Demolition of a house in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Be'er al-Mshash, east of Be'er Sheva, December 29, 2010. (Jorge Novominsky/FLASH90)

Residents of Bedouin village protest government’s forced relocation plan

An Israeli government plan to forcibly transfer thousands of Bedouin residents out of the Negev village of Al-Zarnug is being met with fierce criticism. By Daniel Beller Around 200 residents of the unrecognized Bedouin village of Al-Zarnug demonstrated in the southern city of Be’er Sheva on Sunday morning in protest at a government plan to forcibly…

By +972 Magazine January 30, 2017

The three Palestinian activists detained by the Shin Bet before Yacoub Abu al-Qi'an's funeral. From right: Fady Masamra, Amir Abu Qweidr, and Raafat Awaisha.

Shin Bet detains Arab activists — to stop them from attending funeral

Three well-known Bedouin activists were detained and interrogated on the way to the funeral of Yacoub Abu al-Qi’an, who was killed by police last week. Attorney Gaby Lasky: ‘This has all the marks of a police state.’ Israeli police and the security authorities continue to persecute the Arab residents of the Negev. On Tuesday, the…

By Rami Younis January 26, 2017