Heavily armed police stage large-scale raid on Bedouin town after days of clashes

Hundreds of heavily armed police and Border Police officers raided Tarabin al-Sana on Monday afternoon, bringing military-style tactics to the southern Bedouin town amid intensifying police operations in the Negev.

The sweeping raid came days after four of the town’s residents allegedly set fire to cars in neighboring Jewish areas. Three suspects from were arrested within a day of the incident.

The arson was considered “revenge” for previous police operations in the town and prompted a visit on Sunday by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who vowed to crack down on crime in the locale and southern Israel as a whole.

As rain beat down on the desert, dozens of Border Police vans crawled into Tarabin al-Sana at a slow pace. Police decked out in riot helmets and tactical gear were seen entering homes, as mounted officers patrolled waterlogged streets.

Police cordoned off the perimeter of the village with cinderblocks at each entrance, an increasingly common yet controversial law enforcement practice in Negev Bedouin towns. The operation continued into the evening.

Residents said they were alarmed by officers’ conduct during the raid. According to Haaretz and Ynet, police threw stun grenades into homes, broke windows and fired tear gas at a mosque during prayer.

“They are entering houses and arresting young men. Now they just arrested my brother, 28 years old, and I don’t know why,” a Tarabin al-Sana resident named Yasser was quoted as saying by Haaretz.

“There is a police helicopter here, horses, a water cannon. It feels like Tulkarem here,” he continued, referring to the West Bank city. “I don’t know what they want.”

In a statement, police announced the arrest of 16 wanted suspects and seizure of army ammunition and equipment. The force also said officers issued restraining orders barring 19 suspected criminals from southern Israel. “The operation will continue for as long as necessary,” police vowed.

Before the raid, dozens of Border Police vans were seen near a gas station just outside Tarabin al-Sana, in apparent preparation for the incursion. Army bases, meanwhile, upped their defense readiness for “operational reasons.”

Police did not elaborate on the precise objective of the operation but said they aimed to “strengthen governance, enforce the rule of law and provide a sharp and clear response to any attempt at serious criminal activity.”

As the raid was underway, Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas decried in the Knesset what he characterized as Ben Gvir’s undue influence over law enforcement. During a faction meeting, he accused the far-right minister of “interfering with police’s work.”

“We believe that the police need to act in accordance with the law, in a professional manner,” he said, calling on law enforcement to “respect the rights of citizens in order to provide them with security, and act in an appropriate way to defeat the phenomenon of crime and violence.”

“Arab citizens must not be treated like enemies, and Arab towns as if they’re beyond Israel’s borders,” Abbas added.

After nightfall, Ben Gvir issued a video statement hailing the raid.

“I say to all those lawbreakers who thought they were threatening us, all those lawbreakers who don’t want us to continue demolishing houses, issuing traffic fines and entering Tarabin — the police will pursue you, reach you and you will pay the price,” Ben Gvir declared.

Since mid-November, police have been upping their presence in Bedouin areas of the Negev as part of a far-reaching enforcement campaign against violent crime, arms smuggling and traffic violations, spearheaded by Ben Gvir and police chief Danny Levy.

The operation, dubbed New Order, has seen around a dozen massive raids on towns throughout the Negev, including Tarabin al-Sana, Lakiya, Tel Sheva and Hura. By and large, Bedouin residents have not received the raids well, with many charging that police’s enforcement tactics are eroding their rights as Israeli citizens.