Everyone is entitled to a roof over their head. A place where they and their family can be safe from the cold of winter and the heat of summer, where the day's troubles can be shut out and children can be reared in safety. This basic right is acknowledged in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by Israel.

It is a country's duty to make it possible for its citizens to achieve this goal. In Israel, not only does the state not facilitate the Arab citizens' efforts of becoming homeowners, but it relentlessly undermines their efforts in that direction.

In Lud, there are hardly any zoning plans for parts of town populated by Arabs, leaving thousands of houses without a construction permit. In Ramleh, the zoning plans lock the Arab neighbourhoods between inter-city roads, railways and industrial zones, with no room left for new construction.

In both cities, railway tracks cross densely populated areas, with no safe passages, putting the inhabitants' lives in constant danger. Deadly accidents occur every year: On April 14^th this year Tawfiq Abu-Ktifan, a young father of four, was killed by a train. In Ramleh's Mahatta neighbourhood adults and children were killed on the tracks on their way downtown.

Public construction projects for the Arab population are few and far between, and all lack physical infrastructure and community facilities. Meanwhile, many thousands of apartments were built for new immigrants and for veterans in both cities, for which Arabs are not eligible (a supreme court ruling in the matter of this discriminatory practice is pending).

Life, so it seems, is stronger than zoning regulations. Rather than wait in vain for the state to do its job, the Arab residents of Ramleh and Lud build their own homes and as they build, the state -- through the municipalities -- tears down their houses. Every demolition sends out a clear message to the Arab population: "This is not your home!"