Hundreds of Palestinians protest Israeli policies of home demolitions in Negev

Hundreds of Palestinians protested Thursday in Beersheba in Israel’s southern Negev region against Israeli policies of home demolitions and land confiscation targeting Bedouin communities in the area.

According to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, protesters included residents of Bedouin communities affected by demolitions or facing displacement, as well as supporters from among Arab Israelis.

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 affirming their rights to land and housing, with slogans including “The Negev belongs to its people and owners” and “No to house demolitions, yes to our right to housing.”

They also held signs bearing the names of villages facing demolition or evacuation, including Tel Arad, Al-Sirr, Wadi al-Khalil, Umm al-Hiran, and Al-Araqib.

Earlier Thursday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the demolition of Bedouin Palestinian homes and vowed to intensify the policy.

On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir said 5,700 homes had been demolished over the past year.

Successive Israeli governments have promoted what they call “development programs” for Palestinian Bedouin villages in the Negev, aimed at relocating residents to state-planned towns.

Palestinian Bedouins, however, view these policies as a tool of forced displacement that severs them from their historic lands and denies recognition to their villages.