Here it is folks. It took all of 3 hours to completely raze the village of al-Arakib. Previously home to 300 people.
The Guardian: Ethnic cleansing in the Israeli Negev
The razing of a Bedouin village by Israeli police shows how far the state will go to achieve its aim of Judaising the Negev region
This time the impact of the destruction sank in immediately. Perhaps because the 300 people who resided in al-Arakib, including their children, were sitting in the rubble when I arrived, and their anguish was evident; or perhaps because the village is located only 10 minutes from my home in Be'er Sheva and I drive past it every time I go to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem; or perhaps because the Bedouins are Israeli citizens, and I suddenly understood how far the state is ready to go to accomplish its objective of Judaising the Negev region; what I witnessed was, after all, an act of ethnic cleansing.
Here is a chilling audio account I posted the other day in Tom's excellent diary: Interview with Dr. Yeela Ranaan live at the scene of the demolished village. She is speaking with Jesse Bacon.
It is so startling thousands of soldiers can show up in your town one day and mow it all down leaving people homeless. I try to imagine if this was happening to me. I keep hearing the screams of the children.