rki.news | Sources Anadolu
BEERSHEBA, June 25 – Hundreds of Palestinians staged a protest on Thursday in the southern Negev against Israeli home demolition and land confiscation policies affecting Bedouin communities.
According to Israeli media reports, the demonstration brought together residents of villages facing demolition or displacement along with supporters from the Arab Israeli community.
The protest was organized by the Higher Steering Committee for Arabs in the Negev, the Committee of Heads of Bedouin Local Authorities, and the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages.
Demonstrators carried banners asserting land and housing rights, chanting slogans rejecting demolitions and calling for recognition of their communities and protection of housing rights.
Participants also displayed signs bearing the names of villages threatened with demolition or evacuation, including Tel Arad, Al-Sirr, Wadi al-Khalil, Umm al-Hiran, and Al-Araqib.
The protest came a day after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that 5,700 Bedouin homes had been demolished over the past year and pledged to intensify the policy.
Successive Israeli governments have promoted development plans aimed at relocating Bedouin residents from Negev villages to state-planned towns.
Palestinian Bedouins argue these policies amount to forced displacement, separating communities from historic lands and denying recognition to their villages. They continue to call for land rights, housing security, and protection of their traditional way of life.