Israeli bulldozes invaded, on Tuesday morning, the Bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb, in the Negev, and demolished it for the 112th consecutive time.
Aziz Sabah Abu Mdeighem, a member of the Al-‘Araqeeb Local Council, said a large police force invaded the village, and demolished its tents, small wooden homes and tin houses.
The village, which has been demolished for 112 times, is not recognized by Israel, and has been fighting an ongoing battle for recognition since the establishment of Israel in the historic land of Palestine, in 1948.
Although the villagers have land deeds and receipts of paid taxes dating back to Ottoman times, the Israeli authorities do not accept these as valid.
The fate of al-Araqeeb is indicative of a wider problem in Israel, and particularly for its Bedouin community, the majority of whom live in the Negev.
Over 110,000 Bedouin live in so-called ‘unrecognized villages’, many of which – like al-Araqeeb – significantly pre-date the state of Israel itself. Unrecognized villages are not entitled to services that the state provides to recognized settlements, notably water and sewage services, electricity, roads and educational provision.
