Bus window broken by Bedouin 'Price Tag' attack
Bus window broken by Bedouin 'Price Tag' attackRamat Negev Regional Council

Four illegal Arab structures built on state land in the Negev were demolished Sunday, near Kibbutz Rematim.

The eviction and demolition proceeded in an orderly fashion, but violence erupted later that day.

By Sunday afternoon, Bedouin stone-throwers were reportedly attacking vehicles on a nearby stretch of Route 222. A bus was damaged in the attacks.

The NGO “Regavim”, which monitors illegal construction in the Arab sector, praised the demolition operation.

“Yesterday’s enforcement operation by the authorities and Israeli Police are welcome and appropriate for a nation that values laws,” said Amichai Yogev, Regavim’s southern district organizer. “But more needs to be done to increase the pressure on those who violate the law,” he added.

Yogev noted that already, the squatters had returned to the site of yesterday’s demolition.

“If you want to prevent the rule of law from becoming a joke, [the authorities] must immediately evict the squatters who have returned to the site where the illegal structures [were demolished], and work to capture the stone throwers. We cannot accept a situation like this, where every enforcement operation… is followed by terrorism and attempts to harm citizens and their property.”