Bedouin protesters torch construction site after settlement dispute

Fire hit the planned Jewish settlement of Dror this weekend when protesters torched construction facilities and a parked vehicle, damaging Housing Ministry offices just days after authorities cleared out the Bedouin encampment of Umm al-Hiran.

The arson attack came as payback after officials evacuated the unauthorized Bedouin outpost that had been blocking plans for a new urban development in the Negev. The evacuation followed through on a 2002 government decision under Sharon and got final backing from a 2016 Supreme Court ruling that shot down claims about land ownership.

"This is a test of Israel's governance in the Negev," said the Regavim movement, calling for tough law enforcement. "This arson was meant to scare off state planners who are just trying to implement government decisions."

The displaced families didn't walk away empty-handed - they got compensation packages worth tens of millions of shekels and nearly 100 ready-to-build plots in nearby Hura.

Police are now looking into who torched the Housing Ministry's offices at the Dror site, which got hit overnight after the evacuation wrapped up.