Naked Negev Arab Committee Denounces Home Demolitions

The Higher Steering Committee for Negev Arabs has condemned Israeli authorities for demolishing dozens of homes and a mosque in the village of Abu Wadi (Al-Dahiyya), north of Rahat. The committee stated that the demolitions, which also included uprooting trees, threaten approximately 300 residents, including women, children, and the elderly. According to the committee, large forces of police and state agencies, accompanied by bulldozers, carried out the destruction.

The committee described the village as agricultural, with residents deeply connected to their land for generations. They asserted that the demolitions violate residents' rights to housing and a safe life. The organization views these actions as part of a broader pattern of demolitions targeting Arab villages in the Negev, warning that continued policies threaten other communities.

The committee called for an immediate halt to the demolitions, holding the Israeli government responsible for displacing families and destroying their property. They urged local Arab authorities, civil, and human rights institutions to provide urgent shelter and aid to affected residents and to pursue their rights through official and judicial channels.

Furthermore, the committee called on the Higher Follow-up Committee for the Arab Public and other popular bodies to adopt a unified stance and organize peaceful protests against the demolitions and displacement in the Negev. The committee believes the solution lies in recognizing Arab villages, organizing them, and providing them with the means for a dignified life, emphasizing solidarity with the residents of Abu Wadi.