Israel demolishes al-Araqib homes for 83rd time | Maan News Agency - 20 /04/2015
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BEERSHEBA (Ma’an) — Israeli bulldozers demolished homes in the Bedouin village of al-Araqib village in the Negev for the 83rd time on Monday, in addition to a home in the Negev village of Atir, local activists said.
Israeli police reportedly imposed a blockade on al-Araqib before carrying out the demolitions.
Activist Aziz Siyah Abu Mdeighem told Ma’an: “They smile to us after they demolish our homes and ask mockingly, ’How are you?’”
“It is disrespectful to Palestinians,” he said, “We will stay here even if they demolish al-Araqib 100 times.”
Meanwhile, in Atir in northeastern Hura in the Negev, bulldozers escorted by Israeli police demolished a home in which a family of 12 had been living.
Ibrahim al-Afinsh, who owned the house, said the people of Atir and of the Negev would never give up their rights to their lands.
The activist Abu Mdeighem called on Israel “to respect the law, as they claim their country is democratic.”
The activist said that demolitions in al-Araqib continue to take place, even after the Israeli Higher Court of Justice ruled that al-Araqib’s lands do not belong to the state.
