The Israel Land Authority (ILA) and police evacuated the illegal Bedouin outpost of Al-Sir in the Negev on Wednesday, following an order by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
During the operation, some residents burned homes in protest while police worked to maintain public order and prevent escalation using crowd-control measures. The evacuation targeted land designated for a new residential neighborhood in the western part of the community, which authorities said would allow development work to proceed and ensure orderly planning for the region.
Ben-Gvir praised the move, saying, “Slowly, but surely, we are taking back the Negev lands. This operation is a central pillar of the policy to restore sovereignty and eradicate the phenomenon of illegal construction in the Negev and across the country.”
Salman Ibn Hamed, a leader in Bir Hadaj and former director-general of the Neve Midbar Regional Council, condemned the evacuation saying, “They are serving the whims of Ben-Gvir and this extremist government. What we are seeing here is destruction, not solutions. People here are begging for solutions, and the government only knows how to destroy.”
Earlier this year, the ILA conducted a similar operation in an unrecognized village nearby, demolishing about 70 structures and 16 homes built illegally on land designated for the expansion of the town. The action followed court rulings and the residents’ failure to comply with agreements, and allowed the advancement of a new residential neighborhood for residents of Segev Shalom.
Knesset members, organizations criticize the evacuation
The Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages in the Negev issued a harsh statement in response.
“This is a pure illustration of the sadism of Israel’s current government," the council stated. "According to the state, the residents are supposed to receive alternative plots in the coming weeks. Why not carry this out humanely? Today, about 150 people are being thrown out of their homes, and some 10,000 since this so-called government of destruction came to power, just because someone wants to inflict pain out of a racist motive on elderly, sick people, children, a new mother, and the rest of the neighborhood’s residents.” They added: “If the residents of the Bedouin villages were Jewish, they would have been moshav members with plots and auxiliary land for decades.”
Knesset Member Walid Al-Hawashla, who was present at the site, criticized police and the government saying, “There were stun grenades here. The police do not allow people to express their pain. This is the policy of this government, of Ben-Gvir and the district police, to use force against people.”
ILA Director Yanki Quint said, “We will continue our determined efforts against the phenomenon of illegal land takeovers. Land is a scarce public resource, so protecting and developing it for the benefit of all citizens is of utmost importance. Thanks to advanced technologies, we can quickly identify invasions and act immediately to restore land to its legal use.”