A Be'er Sheva court ruled on Monday that the Abu Basma local council has 12 months to raze 30 luxurious villas that were built by Bedouins without permits and to start legal steps against 35 other illegal buildings. The decision was handed down in a motion filed by Regavim, an organization which specializes in fighting illegal Arab construction.

The Abu Basma Local Council is made up of the Bedouin populations northeast of Beer Sheva,come the Jewish communities of Meitar and Omer. It was founded as portion of an attempt to regulate rampant illegal Arab construction in the area, and to prevent further Bedouin encroachment on government land in the Negev. Regavim stated that there are hundreds of additional illegal buildings in Abu Basma and that it is considering filing a motion about them as well