On the Brink: The Forced Displacement Crisis Facing Bedouin Communities in the Naqab
Today, Palestinian Bedouin citizens of Israel living in the Naqab (Negev, southern Israel) are facing an unprecedented crisis of forced displacement, mass evictions and home demolitions at the hands of the State of Israel. Under the current far-right government, long-standing displacement policies have accelerated sharply. Entire villages have been erased within a matter of days, while the government establishes exclusively Israeli Jewish towns, often on the land and ruins of Bedouin villages. Demolitions have reached record levels, with more than 14,000 structures demolished since 2023 (Ministry of National Security, 2025). This staggering figure includes thousands of homes, as well as essential infrastructure in recognized and unrecognized villages and smaller communities. Many families are forced to live in makeshift tents amongst the ruins of their former homes.
While the displacement of Bedouin communities is rooted in decades of state policy, the current escalation represents a turning point, with the state now moving to complete this long-standing project through a systematic and violent agenda.
Read Adalah’s new report: “On the Brink: The Forced Displacement Crisis Facing Bedouin Communities in the Naqab,” which examines the recent demolition of multiple communities and includes a new, comprehensive data table of Bedouin villages that are under imminent threat. It documents ten unrecognized villages, home to over 15,000 residents, with significant portions—and in some cases the entire village—slated for demolition through state-initiated evacuation lawsuits intended to facilitate military expansion, industrial zones, and new Jewish-only towns. Adalah is representing residents in three of these villages - Ras Jrabah, Al-Bqea’ah, and Umm Badoun - challenging these discriminatory policies in ongoing legal proceedings.
Photo by Flash90
