Israeli Supreme Court to Hear Motion Challenging the Forced Displacement of the Bedouin Village of Ras Jrabah
On Thursday, 27 March 2025, at 11:30 AM, Israel’s Supreme Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on Adalah’s motion to appeal against the Be’er Sheva District Court’s decision greenlighting the forced displacement of the entire population of over 500 people from the Bedouin village of Ras Jrabah in the Naqab (Negev, southern Israel) to expand the Jewish city of Dimona.
The motion, filed by Adalah Attorney Myssana Morany on 18 September 2024, requesting permission to appeal the Be’er Sheva District Court’s ruling, dated 3 June 2024, approving eviction lawsuits filed against the people of Ras Jrabah by Israeli authorities. The residents of Ras Jrabah, who have lived on their ancestral land for generations, have consistently stated that they do not oppose the development of Dimona, but request that their village be integrated into the city, which has become central to their lives over the decades.
To read more about the Supreme Court motion CLICK HERE
Ras Jrabah covers an area of 340 dunams (approximately 84 acres) of land belonging to the Al-Hawashleh tribe, and its residents have lived there for generations. Ras Jrabah is adjacent to the Jewish city of Dimona, which was built on the lands of the Al-Hawashleh tribe. The residents of Ras Jrabah – represented by Adalah – have been fighting the state’s attempts to evict them since May 2019, when the ILA filed 10 eviction lawsuits against the residents, falsely claiming they are trespassers and ordering them to evacuate their homes. The stated justification for the evictions is to allow for the expansion of the nearby Jewish city of Dimona onto Ras Jrabah's land. The residents were presented with a single option: to relocate to the nearby Bedouin town of Qasr Al-Sirr. After the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court issued its decision in July 2023 approving the lawsuits, Adalah appealed to the District Court. Following hearings held in [29.5.2024 ], the District Court delivered its decision in [3.6.2024]. Although the court acknowledged that the residents of Ras Jrabah have lived on the land for decades with the state's knowledge and permission, the judges nevertheless approved their displacement.
In the motion, Adalah argued that the district court had erred by dismissing claims of segregation simply because there is no explicit ban on Bedouins purchasing land in the new neighborhood in Dimona. The court also incorrectly determined that the eviction lawsuits served a legitimate purpose. As stated in the motion, “The eviction aims to uproot the Bedouin residents, who have lived there for decades, to create a residential area for other citizens—Jewish or otherwise. This decision implicitly assumes that the applicants, because of their identity, cannot be part of Dimona,” and is therefore a clearly segregationist plan. Adalah emphasized that numerous provisions in international human rights conventions prohibit segregation and the forced displacement of populations, particularly indigenous peoples.
Date: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: Supreme Court, Jerusalem
Related Press Releases:
Court to hear Adalah’s defense arguments against evacuation of 500 residents of Ras Jrabah 14/06/2020
CLICK HERE to read English translations of excerpts of the Magistrate's Court decision
