Israeli bulldozers have begun tearing down 47 homes in the village of Umm Batin in the Negev, claiming they do not have the proper building permits.

That has led to protests in the local Bedouin community while police prevented a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament from approaching the site.

In a post on X, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the demolitions as “an important step towards restoring governance” and promised Israel would tear down more homes.

The Higher Steering Committee of the Arabs of the Negev called the demolitions an “unprecedented crime” against “Arab citizens of the Negev”.

Israel demolishes hundreds of homes belonging to Palestinians each year under the pretext they lack an Israel-issued building permit, in a policy decried as “forced displacement”.