The Supreme Court ordered on immediate halt today to unauthorized construction work begun near a Bedouin encampment in the northern Negev and sharply rebuked the government and the specific agency concerned for undertaking the project without the required permit from the Beersheba district court. The Supreme Court also ordered the government to recompense the Bedouins for costs in the amount of IL 10,000.
The high court acted in the wake of clashes yesterday in which at least 10 policemen were injured and scores of Bedouins were arrested. The construction work was started despite a previous promise by the government that nothing would be done without a court permit. But the permit was never obtained. The official who gave the orders and the construction contractor were apparently unaware of that situation. The project is a road to a planned new town.
Heavy equipment was brought into the area near the Arad-Beersheba road yesterday and the work commenced. Crowds of Bedouins attempted to stop it and police were called in. The Bedouins stoned the police and the latter fired into the air. Several policemen were cornered and assaulted by Bedouins, many of them school children. The incidents were repeated this morning as the road work continued until it was stopped by order of the Supreme Court. The government is now expected to obtain a permit from the Beersheba court.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
