After over two decades of struggle, the village was destroyed quietly.
Last week, the people of Umm al-Hiran were expelled from their homes, but unlike most demolitions, everything proceeded without event.
Residents of the Palestinian village in southern Israel’s Negev (Naqab) desert demolished their own houses, hoping to salvage some building materials, household belongings and animals.
In 2017, things had been quite different. Then, a previous round of demolitions resulted in the fatal shooting of a 47-year-old schoolteacher, Yaqoub Abu al-Qia’an, by police. The incident created a media firestorm.
This time round, there was little coverage, and residents had no way to protest or resist. ….more
