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Israeli authorities demolish homes in unrecognized Negev village ahead of election

Israeli authorities demolish homes in unrecognized Negev village ahead of election

Force in Play

About 400 residents of Al-Dahiya lost their homes on Oct. 12, and demolitions spread to other unrecognized Negev villages around the Oct. 27 election

October 29th, 2026: Arab local councils demand halt to demolitions

Overview

Updated Oct 31

Israeli authorities demolished about 80 structures, including a mosque, in Al-Dahiya north of Rahat on Oct. 12, displacing roughly 400 members of the Abu Wadi family, according to Anadolu Agency and Al Jazeera. A joint statement from Adalah and other civil society groups on Oct. 18 said the orders covered 50 residential buildings and a mosque in a community of about 250 people, and that residents report around 80 families affected.

Demolitions continued the following week. On Oct. 19, authorities razed three homes in Umm Numaila and structures in Abu Quraynat, and one family there tore down its own house to avoid fines of up to 60,000 shekels. In a statement published Oct. 29, the Forum of Arab Local Authorities accused ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Amichai Chikli of using the demolitions for electoral gain, opened schools as temporary shelter, and asked the attorney general to stop the remaining orders.

Why it matters

Bedouin families in the Negev are losing homes they cannot legally replace, and the demolitions carried on through an election and into coalition talks.

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Key Indicators

400
People displaced
Displaced from Al-Dahiya; Haaretz and Middle East Eye report 250, and Adalah says the orders covered about 50 homes in a community of 250.
19,300
Structures demolished since 2023
Per the Regional Council for Unrecognised Bedouin Villages; Adalah puts the figure above 14,000 for the same period.
5,187
Structures demolished in 2024
Negev Coexistence Forum figure cited by Adalah, a 58% rise from 2023.

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People Involved

Itamar Ben Gvir
Itamar Ben Gvir
Israel's National Security Minister
Police under his ministry escorted demolition teams in Al-Dahiya; the Forum of Arab Local Authorities accused him in late October of exploiting the demolitions for electoral gain
 Mansour Abbas
Mansour Abbas
Leader of the United Arab List (Ra'am)
Asked the attorney general in October to freeze demolition orders until after the Oct. 27 election; no response reported
 Gali Baharav-Miara
Gali Baharav-Miara
Israel's Attorney General
Received Abbas's letter; no public response reported
AF
Abu Wadi family
Residents of Al-Dahiya
Around 400 members displaced; refusing state relocation offer
 Amichai Chikli
Amichai Chikli
Israeli minister
Accused by the Forum of Arab Local Authorities of exploiting the Negev demolitions for political and electoral purposes

Organizations Involved

IL
Israel Land Authority
Government agency
Carried out the Al-Dahiya demolitions with police support

Israeli government body that manages state land and carries out demolitions of structures built without permits on land it classifies as state-owned.
BD
Beersheba District Court
Court
Rejected residents' petition to postpone demolitions on Oct. 11

Southern Israel's district court, which hears challenges to demolition orders in the Negev.
Joint List (Hadash, Ta'al, Balad)
Joint List (Hadash, Ta'al, Balad)
Arab-led political alliance
Denounced the demolitions

Alliance of three Arab political parties in Israel's parliament.
United Arab List (Ra'am)
United Arab List (Ra'am)
Political party
Called for immediate freeze on demolition orders until after elections

Arab political party led by Mansour Abbas, active in Israeli coalition politics.
Adalah
Adalah
Legal center
Published an Oct. 18 statement warning of further demolitions and documenting orders in Dihayya, Abu Grīnāt and Umm Nmīlah

Israeli legal center that tracks demolitions and represents Bedouin communities facing eviction lawsuits.
FA
Forum of Arab Local Authorities
Representative body
Demanding a halt to Negev demolitions and sheltering displaced families

Umbrella body representing Palestinian Arab local councils in Israel, which convened an emergency meeting after the Al-Dahiya demolitions.

Timeline

2025 October 2026

7 events Latest: October 29th, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Arab local councils demand halt to demolitions

    Latest Statement

    The Forum of Arab Local Authorities opens schools and public buildings as shelter, asks the attorney general to stop outstanding demolition orders, and accuses ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Amichai Chikli of exploiting the demolitions for political and electoral purposes.

  2. Demolitions hit Umm Numaila and Abu Quraynat

    Event

    Authorities demolish three homes in Umm Numaila and structures in Abu Quraynat. A family in Abu Quraynat tears down its own house and burns the remains to avoid fines that could reach 60,000 shekels.

  3. Groups warn of further Negev demolitions

    Statement

    Adalah and other civil society groups publish a joint statement saying demolition orders cover 50 residential buildings and a mosque in Dihayya, and that 40 homes in Abu Grīnāt faced an Oct. 19 deadline while 92 homes in Umm Nmīlah were subject to orders.

  4. Demolitions in southern Rahat

    Event

    Israeli authorities demolished homes and agricultural structures belonging to the Abu Qirshin family, according to WAFA.

  5. Demolitions begin in Al-Dahiya

    Event

    Authorities demolish about 80 structures, including a mosque, displacing roughly 400 people.

  6. Court rejects delay petition

    Legal

    Beersheba District Court rejects Abu Wadi family petition to postpone demolitions.

  7. Demolition orders spike

    Report

    Yedioth Ahronoth reports Negev demolition orders rose 400 percent during the year.

Scenarios

1

New Government Freezes Negev Demolitions

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas and the Joint List

If the Oct. 27 election produces a coalition that excludes Ben-Gvir's party, the new government could order a pause on demolitions in unrecognized villages while policy is reviewed. Abbas's letter to the attorney general also keeps pressure on the Justice Ministry to intervene before the vote.

2

Demolition Campaign Expands After Elections

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Adalah legal center, which lists 10 unrecognized villages under imminent threat

If Ben-Gvir retains or expands his political power after the election, the demolition campaign could broaden to other unrecognized villages. Adalah documents ten villages with over 15,000 residents facing partial or complete demolition through state-initiated eviction lawsuits tied to military expansion, industrial zones, and new Jewish-only towns.

3

Supreme Court Halts Remaining Al-Dahiya Demolitions

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Residents' legal options; Adalah's ongoing representation of other villages

The Abu Wadi family could petition the Supreme Court for an injunction to stop further demolitions. Adalah is already litigating similar cases for three other Negev villages, and a favorable ruling would freeze remaining orders and set a precedent for unrecognized communities facing the same threat.

4

Demolitions become a coalition bargaining chip

Uncertain Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Forum of Arab Local Authorities; United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas

Arab local councils have asked that ending home demolitions and resolving the Bedouin housing crisis be a binding condition in coalition negotiations after the Oct. 27 election. Whether any party adopts that condition will show how much the demolitions cost politically.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1948-1966

Military Rule and the Siyag Zone (1948-1966)

After Israel's founding, Bedouin communities in the Negev were placed under military rule. The state concentrated them in a confined zone called the Siyag in the northeastern Negev, displacing communities from ancestral land into seven government-planned townships.

Then

Thousands of Bedouins were relocated from their land into the planned townships, which lacked basic services and economic opportunity.

Now

Roughly 90,000 people, about 30 percent of the Negev's Bedouin population, now live in 37 unrecognized villages outside the state planning system.

Why this matters now

The Siyag policy established the pattern of state control over Bedouin land and movement that continues with today's demolition orders.

1999-present

Recognition Without Planning (1999-present)

Some Bedouin villages gained state recognition starting in 1999, but they were never given planning schemes. Without planning, residents could not obtain building permits.

Then

Homes in recognized-but-unplanned villages remain technically unauthorized, leaving them subject to demolition orders.

Now

Demolition orders in the Negev rose 400 percent in a single year, with more than 14,000 structures demolished since 2023.

Why this matters now

Al-Dahiya is unrecognized and has no planning scheme, which is why its roughly 80 structures were classified as illegal construction.

Sources

(14)
+8
Al Jazeera Anadolu Agency WAFA News Agency Palestine Information Center Haaretz Adalah — The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel Sada News Agency Middle East Eye Arab News Al-Monitor Ilke News Agency WAFA News Agency Adalah and co-signing civil society organizations Arab News