The Bedouin unrecognized village of Al Arakib was demolished this morning for the 5th time,immediately after Eid Al-Fitr (one of the most important Muslim holidays marking the end of Ramadan). The village is located 7 kilometers north of the city of Be’er Sheva, in the Israeli Negev Desert. Dozens of policemen came to the village before dawn to secure the bulldozers which started to destroy the tents and the all other structures in the village.
Since 27th of July, when the first demolition of the village occurred, the state of Israel has destroyed the village another four times: August 4th. August 10th, August 17th at the beginning of Ramadan and today, after Ramadan’s end. The residents of the village tried to resist with no success and then stood with their children, watching their houses crashing down. They were left in the middle of the
desert without water or food.
The Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF) demands the Israeli government to stop the home demolitions immediately and to find a fair and reasonable solution for the Bedouin in Al-Arakib and all the other unrecognized villages in Israel. Michal Rotem the spokeperson of NCF said:”The destruction policy which is implemented now will bring only rage and hate and will eventually prevent Israelis Jewish and Arabs from being able to live in the Negev/ Naqab together”.
We have been posting less frequently in the past week at The Only Democracy? because of the Rosh Hashana holiday, enough so that we missed one of the proud moments of this season. Our mother organization Jewish Voice for Peace has announced its first ever Rabbinical Council. While not an on-the-ground development in Israel/Palestine, I believe it will be inspiring to many readers of TOD? and has the potential to combat inequality and freedom in a new way. May we all find creative new ways to sustain and struggle in the coming year.
On a personal note, as the person who usually writes the holiday messages here at TOD? I am thrilled to have the example and statements of this group to draw inspiration from. Here is their readings for the High Holidays (click on image to download.).
