Israel Flag Torn Down at South Desert Memorial, Nearby Villages Trade Accusations

An unknown person or people tore down an Israeli flag on Wednesday at a lookout near Retamim in the Negev that was set up in memory of soldiers killed in the October 7 battles. Residents of the nearby village of Retamim suggested the act may have involved neighbors from Bir Hadaj and members of the Al-Azazme tribe, while Bir Hadaj residents said the accusations were an attempt to frame them. Police said the Segev Shalom station in the Rotem district opened an investigation.

Retamim said the flag removal was the latest in a series of incidents, following vandalism earlier this week at a memorial corner for Golani soldier Yehuda Peretz and graffiti sprayed several days earlier on the settlement entrance sign, which residents say represents the Al-Azazme tribe. Settlement spokesman Akiva Bigman said the string of incidents was not only an attack on Retamim, but on state sovereignty. He said there was an effort to challenge governance in the area, harm clear symbols of authority, and undermine security, and he urged police to identify the perpetrators and restore “sovereignty and security” to the region.

Bir Hadaj rejected the insinuations and said Jewish neighbors were trying to incriminate them. Salman Ibn Hamid, a member of the village leadership, said there are Israeli flags at the entrance to Bir Hadaj, in schools, and in every public institution, and said there is no reason a resident would target that particular flag. He also said he had seen videos of Retamim residents trying at night to remove flags, apparently those of the regional council.

In a video distributed by Bir Hadaj, young men are seen climbing a pole with a flag, allegedly dozens of meters from the memorial where the Israeli flag was removed. The same vehicle also appears in the clip driving into Retamim; it had previously been filmed about a month ago chasing a flock of sheep. An educator from the village called the graffiti on the entrance sign a politically motivated effort to discredit the community.

Tensions between the two communities have been ongoing for years. In May last year, a Retamim resident reported encountering a young man behaving indecently during a walk, and her husband later went with several residents to Bir Hadaj, where the village said they were met with violence while residents of Retamim said the group drew weapons, beat people, and slapped them. In March, two teenagers were attacked near the settlement and their all-terrain vehicle was set on fire, with police also examining a possible link to a lookout that burned. Residents of the nearby Bedouin village said Jewish youths arrived on an ATV and scattered garbage in the village area, while Retamim said that documented incident happened hours earlier.