The Bedouin village of El Araqib was able to obtain a stop work order Tuesday morning, 18 January. The order temporary halts any kind of work on the land.

It is meant to prevent the Israel Land Authority (ILA) and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) from continuing to plant a forest on the village’s land.

The JNF is currently attempting to build a forest through the village of El Araqib, which Israel refuses to recognize. As a result, all of the village tents and very basic structures are considered illegal. El Araqib was destroyed by Israeli authorities for the 9^th time on Sunday, 16 January.

Following the demolition on Sunday, the police did not leave the area. They remained at the site until 4pm and monitored the continuing land flattening and digging being carried out by the JNF.

Israeli police returned again Monday morning and continued clearing the land. They also pushed villagers and international activists into the local cemetery to keep them off the site. The authorities finally left the site at 3pm, after which the villagers and activists began rebuilding the village. Conditions in the desert are particularly harsh in the winter months and the residents of El Araqib were left vulnerable to the elements.

Police returned again later Monday night and attacked the people that were rebuilding, shooting at them with pellet guns, and injuring some children. They arrested 11 people, one of whom was released Tuesday morning. Six activists and four villagers are still being held by the police.

The order was obtained in the Be’er Sheva court by Attorney Michael Sfard, who is also the lawyer for the Bil’in village. It is valid through Sunday 23 January, when the El Araqib and Sfard will again have to appeal for work to be stopped.

Tuesday morning, following the stop work order, two officers from Israel’s Department of Arab Affairs arrived in the village to speak with leader Sheikh Saieh. The officers said they would like to see some sort of peace solution and that everyone has to follow the law, meaning no one is allowed to build, be it housing or trees.

At the same time activists reported seeing members of the Green Patrol, the ILA surveyors, monitoring what the villagers had rebuilt. According to the police, Israeli law says El Araqib’s land is not for building. However, where that leaves the residents of the village, no one has said.