Israel to begin demolishing Bedouin Arab village

JERUSALEM – An Israeli government body says Israel is to carry out the first step in the planned demolition of a sprawling Bedouin Arab village in the southern desert.

The Israel Lands Administration says that initially, about 30 Bedouin residents will be displaced on Tuesday.

The case involves a long-running dispute between Israel and the formerly nomadic Bedouin of the Umm Al-Hiran village. Israel moved part of a Bedouin clan to the state-owned land 60 years ago, but now wishes to relocate resident to a government-designated Bedouin township.

An adjacent part of the village that's slated for future demolition is zoned for a new development catering to religious Jewish families with ties to the West Bank settlement movement.

The Arab advocacy group Adalah petitioned an Israeli court Monday to delay the demolition.