Special Rapporteurs Fernand de Varennes and Balakrishnan Rajagopal said the move could lead to “irreparable damage” to minority communities.
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Facing impending deportation
Experts are particularly concerned that some 500 Bedouin residents in the village of Ras Jrabah, which the Israeli authorities do not officially recognize, are at risk of deportation.
The Israel Land Administration (ILA) filed 10 eviction lawsuits against 127 households, in May 2019.
Experts say Israel is trying to drive residents out, pushing them into isolated, impoverished Bedouin towns to expand the Jewish city of Dimona.
The Magistrates Court in Beer Sheva, the main city in Naqab, held a hearing on the case last month.
Traditional life at stake
“While the State calls residents ‘intruders’, in reality, members of the Bedouin minority have lived there for generations,” experts said.
They call on Israel to immediately stop evictions and housing demolitions that could cause irreparable damage to the traditional Bedouin way of life as well as their livelihoods, cultural practices and relationships with their land.
Two experts have previously raised the issue of forced deportation targeting the Bedouins in Israel and destroying their property.
This includes calls to “refrain from and not actively pursue segregationist policies and practices that lead to violations of the right to adequate housing and prohibit discrimination”.
They expressed regret that the Israeli government has not yet responded and continues to deny the basic human rights of the Bedouin minority, but is still in dialogue with the authorities on this issue.
Role of the Rapporteur
Mr. de Varennes,Special Rapporteur on Minority Affairsdesignated by the United Nations Dong Nhan Quyen Association in June 2017.
Mr. Rajagopal has served asUN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housingas of May 2020.
The Special Rapporteur and other independent experts receive their mandate from the Council and report on country-specific situations or topical issues.
They serve as individuals and are not employees of the United Nations, nor are they remunerated for their work.
