Adalah to Interior Minister and AG: Cancel Warnings to Demolish 100 Homes in the Unrecognized Arab Bedouin Village of al-Nasasara in the Naqab

On 13 February 2007, Adalah sent an urgent letter to Interior Minister Roni Bar-On and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, demanding the cancellation of warning notices issued against approximately 100 homes in the unrecognized village of al-Nasasara in the Naqab (Negev) (located to the South-West of Kesseife). These notices, which were affixed to homes on 19 January 2007 demand that the homeowners appear before the Building Monitoring Unit in order to present explanations for �unlicensed building.� However, based on past experience, the sending of such warning notices constitutes the first step towards the issuing of orders to demolish homes and evacuate the village of its inhabitants.

The Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel living in al-Nasasara, who number approximately 400 individuals, have lived in the area for decades, prior to the establishment of the State of Israel. Until now, they were never asked to leave the area or change their place of residence.

In the letter, Adalah Attorney Nabil Dakwar argued that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and other relevant state authorities to investigate the situation and legal circumstances, and the planning alternatives of granting official recognition to the village in order to prevent the violation of the basic rights of the villagers. It is possible, for instance, to include the village in the development area attached to Kesseife, which would be acceptable to the Kesseife local council, and to offer an appropriate solution for the people of al-Nasasara.

Adalah further argued that the state's attempt to demolish the entire Arab Bedouin village, while planning for the development of Jewish towns in the area, constitutes blatant discrimination on the basis of national belonging. It also reveals the state's disregard of the most basic needs of the residents of the village, for flawed reasons based on un-objective and erroneous considerations. Furthermore, it represents a breach of the constitutional rights of the villagers to housing, which is an indivisible part of the right to dignity.