Palestinians Homeless As Israeli Forces Demolish Araqeeb Village

Negev, 19 Ramadan 1438/14 June 2017 (MINA) – The Israeli authorities demolished on Wednesday morning al-Araqeeb village in Negev for the 114th time, leaving dozens of families on the streets, the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) reported.

Member of the Local Committee to Defend al-Araqeeb, Aziz al-Touri, said the demolition vehicles escorted by the Israeli police arrived in the village at daybreak and destroyed all of its residential tents and barracks.

“Just imagine that someday heavily-armed forces show up in your neighborhood and raze your home to the ground, leaving your children and families without a roof over their heads,” said al-Touri.

Al-Araqeeb, home to 22 Palestinian families, is located to the north of Beersheba city in Negev Desert, south of 1948 occupied Palestinian territories. It is one of 45 Arab villages in Negev that Israel does not recognize.

Negev constitutes about 40% of historical Palestine. It covers an area of 12,757 square km and is a home to 200,000 Palestinians.(T/R04/RS5)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)