Israel demolishes al-Araqib village for 190th time
Tel Aviv-based NGO says village was built during Ottoman period, residents purchased lands
JERUSALEM
Israeli authorities on Wednesday once again demolished an Arab Bedouin village in the southern Negev region.
"The Israeli authorities demolished the al-Araqib village for the 190th time," Aziz al-Touri, a member of the Committee for the Defense of al-Araqib, told Anadolu Agency.
Homes in Al-Araqib, which are inhabited by 22 Palestinian families, are built of wood, plastic, and corrugated iron.
Al-Touri confirmed that the villagers intended to rebuild their destroyed dwellings and other structures.
The village was first destroyed in 2010 and every time after it was rebuilt since then. Israeli authorities claim that the site where it is located falls under "state land."
Zochrot, a Tel Aviv-based NGO, said in a recent report that al-Araqib village was first built during the Ottoman period and its lands were purchased by residents.
Israeli authorities seek to seize control of the lands and expel its residents, with dozens of villages and Bedouin communities facing the same threat in the Negev area, according to Zochrot.
*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
