SAFA — Palestinian Bedouin families in the village of al-Sarra in the Negev face the threat of forced displacement after Israeli authorities issued eviction notices ordering residents to vacate their land and remove all structures within 30 days.

The notices were delivered by Israel's Green Patrol, in coordination with the Israel Land Authority, accusing villagers of illegally occupying land designated by Israeli authorities as state property.

Under the orders, residents must dismantle fences and other structures, uproot planted trees and restore the land to what Israeli authorities describe as its original condition.

The notices also warn that failure to comply could result in legal proceedings, forced demolitions and substantial financial penalties to cover removal costs.

Al-Sarra is among dozens of Palestinian Bedouin villages in the Negev that Israel does not officially recognize, leaving residents with limited access to essential services and facing repeated threats of home demolitions and displacement.

Bedouin Leaders Reject Eviction Orders

Attiya al-Asam, head of the Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, condemned the eviction notices, saying they would not force residents to abandon their land.

"These continual notifications and threats will not shatter the will to stand fast of the people of the Negev," al-Asam told SAFA.

He described the orders as part of what he called a broader Israeli policy aimed at removing Palestinian Bedouin communities from their ancestral lands.

Al-Asam accused Israeli authorities of pursuing displacement and ethnic cleansing through measures designed to clear the land of its original inhabitants.

He stressed that residents remain determined to protect their homes and would not submit to what he described as arbitrary decisions.

Fears Grow Over Wider Demolition Campaign

Palestinian political activist Juma'a Zabarqa warned that the eviction orders against al-Sarra could signal a broader escalation of Israeli demolition and displacement policies targeting Bedouin communities in the Negev.

"The assault on the village of al-Sarra is a dangerous extension of the occupation's policies that specifically target the Palestinian population in the Negev," Zabarqa said.

He accused Israeli authorities of using eviction orders and home demolitions to impose demographic changes by displacing Palestinian residents and transforming their villages into military or settlement areas.

Zabarqa called for coordinated political, community and legal action to challenge the orders and protect residents from forced displacement.

The latest notices have heightened concerns among families in al-Sarra that large-scale demolitions could follow, particularly after similar measures targeting other unrecognized Bedouin communities, including Rakhma, Bir Hadaj, Umm Namila and al-Dahiya.

Zabarqa warned that continued restrictions and demolition threats were placing growing pressure on residents of unrecognized villages and undermining their ability to remain on their land.

Despite the threats, local leaders say Palestinian Bedouin families remain determined to defend their homes and resist displacement.