Israeli bulldozers on Tuesday morning demolished al-Araqib village in the southern Negev area for the 127th time.
Activist Salim al-Touri said that al-Araqib village has been demolished 127 times since 27th July 2010 under the pretext that its lands belong to the state of Israel.
Al-Touri told Quds Press that Israeli bulldozers escorted by a large police force stormed the village in the early morning hours and forced the residents out of their houses.
“Israel wants us to give up our lands claiming that they are state-owned lands but the village was built during the Ottoman era on lands purchased by the village’s residents at that time” he added.
The last time al-Araqib houses were demolished was on 22nd March 2018. The Israeli authorities are seeking to remove the Palestinian people of al-Araqib from their lands in preparation for Judaizing the area.
Al-Araqib is one of 45 Arab villages in the Negev unrecognized by the Israeli government and constantly targeted with demolition and displacement in favor of settlement expansion projects.
Al-Araqib residents face the Israeli measures every time with steadfastness and more determination to rebuild their village which has become a symbol of struggle for land and identity.
About 240000 Palestinians live in the Negev Desert. Half of them live in villages and communities established hundreds of years ago.
Israel does not recognize these communities refuses to provide them with basic services such as water and electricity and cracks down on them in every possible way to push them to leave their lands.
