Bedouin Villages

[Lipush]

Decided to start a new thread since it has the potential to be an interesting discussion.

A quick overview of the topic, copied from the other thread:

There are 39 "unrecognized" Bedouin villages in the Negev region, comprising of ~70,000 people. (There are 6 villages which have been recognized). These villages represent locations where, in the past ~75 years, traditional, nomadic tribes have fallen into a more sedentary and localize agricultural lifestyle. The location of these villages is based on complex and competing tribal relationships as well as the result of the upheaval of the War of Independence. Some of those villages (including Umm al-Hiran in 1956) received government permission to settle on that land. The villages, however, were not considered or included in Israel's long-term land use strategy and planning. It may be that Israel's intent was to permit only temporary use of the land. This land is not "privately owned" by any citizen, and is State land. This is not land which is historically "ancestral" land in the sense often used by advocates in this conflict.

The issue is that this land does not fit into Israel's long-term urban planning schedule. Israel does not intend for this land to be traditional, local, agricultural subsistence-level farming. This conflict between urbanization and traditional farming communities is a common one all over the world. It is not primarily a conflict of ethnicities -- but a conflict of technology and civilization.

So what is Israel to do? First, it offered incentives -- each married couple and each single male over the age of 24 was offered legal ownership of a 800 sq m parcel of land in the nearby town of Hura with 100,000 NIS to build a house. Hura offered not only legal ownership of land and a home, but also water, electricity, and access to schools and medical services. The majority of the residents accepted this offer. The remaining ~700 residents refused.

But, there are problems with Hura. Unemployment is high. Housing is limited by physical space and there are families waiting to receive housing from the government (the Bedouin population''s fertility rate is so high the population doubles every 15 years). There are tribal and family conflicts.

The remaining residents of Umm al-Hiran have also been offered parcels of land within the new Hiran community to be built there. Those parcels are necessarily smaller than those in Hura, because the land parcels in Hiran are smaller universally.

The residents seem to be resisting this incorporation into the new Hiran community, near as I can tell. (As I said, it is difficult to get detailed, accurate information). The residents of Umm al-Hiran appear, at least to me, to want to maintain a semi-traditional, rural, agricultural subsistence farming-bound life. The ~700 residents want individual or communal ownership of the land they currently farm, and they will need enough land reserves to deal with a population which doubles ever 15 years.

Now, having said all that, there is a tendency in Israel to segregate Arab and Jewish communities. (No, don't go all apartheid on me -- its not that). There is an element of embedded, even institutionalized racism. It occurs on both sides. Its not much different than segregated communities which occur all over the world -- in the US, Canada, UK, Europe.

So what is Israel to do? What is the solution to this? Its a complex problem. Its a problem tackled by many countries in the past and still being addressed in many places today.

Its easy enough to say, "well, just give the 39 Bedouin villages recognition and land ownership within defined and official village boundaries, provide them with water, electricity, sanitation, education and medical facilities." And I wouldn't disagree with you. But be aware that this 'solution' presents a new host of problems. In the six villages which have been recognized, there is a problem with them growing outside their boundaries, building illegal houses there, taking over land which is not under their ownership. What does Israel do then?

Its a good discussion to have. This actually is one of the areas where people can legitimately criticize Israel. Be glad to have this debate with anyone willing to pursue it with integrity.

Those places are not recognized for more than one reason, which is purly beduin doing.

Let us solve that first.

 

[Shusha]

Those places are not recognized for more than one reason, which is purly beduin doing.

Let us solve that first.

Please elaborate. (Glad to see you here, I was hoping your knowledgeable self would contribute to this thread).

 

[Lipush]

Those places are not recognized for more than one reason, which is purly beduin doing.

Let us solve that first.

Please elaborate. (Glad to see you here, I was hoping your knowledgeable self would contribute to this thread).

Ok, first, those many unrecognized villages have no defined borders, and it doesn't look like the inhabitants of those outposts are looking to define this borders. There is no building plant to many of those places and that is one reason many were not recognized. People may ask how come there are no plans, and that may be connected to the facts that we are taling about tribes which sit on certain hills and don't have defined property. I saw this my entire life from my hometown, since I'm southerner Israeli.

Some of those unrecognized villages have no running water or electricity, that for more that one reason. First, they are not in recognizable area, and second, many don't pay taxes.

As regarding Hura, it's a complicated issue. Some have the difficulties of unemployment, but, and there is a big but, Hura as a town has much larger qualitified individuals, more than the largest Beduion city of Rahat. They offer many estudious people, and if you check further about teachers, lawyers, managers, within the Beiouns of southern Israel, you'll find that many of them originate in Hura.

Now, to the issue of Un Al- Hiran. Let's go back in time.

The Beduoin Tribe of Abu Al Gi'an sattled in Beit Kama area between 1958 to 1956. They were mostly smugglers and offered the Jordanians information about the Israeli Army. They were moved, on their own free will, the the area of Yatir forest, the settle their people there.

In the 80's, the state offered benefits in education and health to the tribe. They recieved 1/2 Duman per male, something that wasn't given to Non-Bedouins.

Later one, they left the area of Yatir and settled on the hills which are now known as Um-Al-Hiran.

In 2012, the goverment calls to establish 14 new towns in the Negev, one of them called "Hiran". Hiran is to hold 2000 families, and every Israeli citizens will have the same right of settling in the future town. Out of the plans, it figured that a small part of the area was already held by several families of Un Al Hiran. While most of the village was to stay standing, the families discussed were offered to move to Hura, with support of the government, only to be refused by the Bedoiun families.

The issue was brought to court, which stated they have no real ancient right on the land.