A house was demolished on Monday at Segev Shalom, an Arab-Bedouin township that was established by the state in the Negev.
The house was demolished despite an arrangement between the owner, father of 18 children, and the Authority of Regulation of Bedouin Settlement, which determined that it is a temporary house, that will not be demolished until the completion of the construction of his new house. The Israeli Land Authority sent demolition order this week despite the agreement, which demolished the house, leaving its residents with no home to stay in.
The residents of a house that was demolished at Segev Shalom between the ruins of their home (Photo: Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality)
Since 2005, the number of house demolitions taking place each year in the Negev has risen, and in 2009, a total of 254 homes were destroyed. In February 2010, the situation become even more dire, as the Ministry of Interior, the Israel Lands Administration and the Israeli Police’s Southern District jointly resolved to triple the rate of house demolitions in unrecognized Bedouin villages. This indicates the Israeli government’s intention of carrying out an unwritten policy: destroying Arab-Bedouin villages and houses in the Negev.
