Upon arrival in Be'er Saba, we went with a representative from Adalah to a protest beside the highway near Rahat. Rahat is a government-planned Bedouin town, but the protest is about an unrecognized village nearby called Al-Araqib.
There have been over 30 home demolitions there in the last 6 months. Every time, they rebuild, and the homes are torn down again. Adding insult to injury, the villagers are billed for the cost of these demolitions, usually around 50,000 to 60,000 shekels for the equipment, employees, police, police animals, and even the portable toilets for the demolition employees.
As a means of peaceful demonstration against these demolitions, the villagers have arranged with local police to protest beside the highway each week. We went to one protest, and talked with the villagers about the challenges they face.
- F.B.J.
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