A Palestinian village was demolished 100 times by the Israelis in the Naqab desert (Negev in Hebrew).
D.Anton
The Palestinian village of'Araqib is located in Desert Naqab (Negev).
Araqib Lands that belonged to its inhabitants since Ottoman times, were expropriated by Israel under the Law of Land Appropriation of 1952 and the villagers were forced to retreat. However many Araqib residents returned to the village, rebuilt it and over time its population reached 300 people living in a bedouin style of pastoral life.
On July 27, 2010 the buildings of the village were demolished for the first time on July 27, 2010.
A Palestinian from Araqib described the situation before demolition:
"Our life was beautiful. We were using the land. We planted barley or wheat in winter and melons in Summer. We all had tractors and worked. We had 500 olive trees. We were doing oil and sold it. We planted tomatoes, zucchini and fruits. We also had sheep. My wife and I had more than 500 hens. We used to sell everything in Beershelva markets, Rabat and elsewhere ... until that damn day of July 27, 2010".
Since then demolishers have returned to the village once or twice a month to destroy the temporary houses. Araqib Palestinians built it again and again. Besides destroying houses a hundred times the government of Israel also began their legal action to recover the costs of demolition which according to them would amount to 8 million shekels (467,000 dollars).
Araqib Palestinians, who are Israeli citizens, have not allowed to be threatened, they keep coming back and build new houses on the ruins of the ones that were demolished.
Haqmeh Abu Madigem, a villager lady from Araqib said: "I'm tired of demolitions but I remain here. Even if our houses are destroyed 200 times, I will not move. For me it is the most beautiful place in Earth ."
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