The Israeli government has moved to stop construction of a school in an unrecognized Bedouin Palestinian village, after pressure from a notorious right-wing group, reported Haaretz.
According to the report, a Finance Ministry department that enforces planning and building laws has issued the stop-work order for the high school at al-Zarnug in the Negev.
Pro-settler group Regavim successfully pressures Israeli authorities to block construction of a school for an 'unrecognised' Bedouin Palestinian community.https://t.co/LsGTZpmrgZ
— Ben White (@benabyad) August 26, 2019
In recent days, Haaretz stated, pro-settler group Regavim “has put pressure on the authorities to halt the school’s construction”.
Regavim said:
“Obviously, building a school for the local population is an act that makes illegal settlement more permanent .. Moreover, it gives residents an erroneous message that the state is shirking its responsibility for enforcing planning and building laws in this area, in contrast to its commitment in court”.
The local regional council had already begun building the prefab school, with work due to be finished before the opening of the new school year.
The Zionist regime must really hate Palestinian children: under rightwing pressure, authorities stopped the construction of the 1st high school in a Bedouin town in the Negev pic.twitter.com/kxqpoiJU6t
— Asaf Ronel (@AsafRonel) August 23, 2019
Amir Abu Qweider, the local committee’s spokesperson, told Haaretz:
“We welcome the decision to build a high school in our community, a decision made according to the law”.
He continued:
“The petition filed by Regavim is an attempt to abuse hundreds of students, hurting our attempts to give our children an appropriate education that will give them real opportunities for succeeding in life”.
The village of al-Zarnug has a population of several thousand, whom the Israeli state ultimately plans to forcibly relocate to Rahat.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
