Israel faces crisis over tree-planting, protests in Negev

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s fragile governing coalition is facing a crisis over tree-planting on disputed land in the Negev desert. Bedouin residents on Tuesday protested the planting by a quasi-governmental organization. Some protesters hurled stones at vehicles on a highway near Beersheba, blocked the railway line and torched a vehicle. Police said two officers were injured in the violence. Local media reported at least 18 people arrested. The conflict in southern Israel, which is home to Bedouin villages unrecognized by the state, has divided the Israeli government. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called for halting the tree-planting while the Islamist Ra’am party has threatened to withhold its votes in parliament in protest.