Thousands of people worldwide have taken part in protests at the Zionist entity’s racist plan to forcibly remove Bedouin Arabs from their villages in the Negev desert

Thousands of people worldwide have taken part in protests at the Zionist entity’s racist plan to forcibly remove Bedouin Arabs from their villages in the Negev desert.

Several thousand people held demonstrations in what was termed as an international "day of rage" on Saturday in the Negev itself, Haifa, al-Quds (Jerusalem), the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Similar demonstrations were also held in London, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Cairo and in several cities of the United States.

Israeli police used teargas, stun grenades and water cannon against demonstrators, in what the Association of Civil Rights in Israel described as a "disproportionate" response to stone-throwing. More than 40 people were arrested at protests across the country, and 15 police officers were injured.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized the protests, saying, "We will not tolerate such disturbances." "Attempts by a loud and violent minority to deny a better future to a large and broad population are grave. We will continue to advance the law for a better future for all residents of the Negev," he added.

Under the Prawer Plan, which is expected to pass into Israeli law by the end of the year, 35 "unrecognized" Bedouin villages will be demolished and between 40,000 and 70,000 people removed to government-designated towns.