SOURCE: MIDDLE EAST MONITOR

Israeli occupation bulldozers yesterday demolished three Arab houses in the village of Abu-Grinat in the Negev, Quds Press reported.

Activist Ratib Abu-Grinat said Israel demolished the houses under the pretext that they were built without planning licences, noting that the demolition led to the displacement of the residents, including women and children.

“The Israeli occupation government recognises the village, which includes 5,000 residents, but it does not have any of the basic services like any other unrecognised villages,” Abu-Grinat told Quds Press.

According to a report issued by the Coexistence Club earlier this week, Israel demolished 1,158 Arab homes in the Negev last year.

The village of Abu-Grinat was set up before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. In 1999, the Israeli government recognised the village but did not connect it to the electricity, water or sewage networks.