As a Negev resident, and one who also works in the Bedouin sector (education),I would like to clarify a few things. Many Bedouins live on ancestral lands, only some of which can be documented. The legal documents which exist, in some cases, go back to the Ottoman Period. The "unrecognized villages" are these ancestral lands or alternatively, land which the Israeli government moved the Bedouins to over the years, "for security" reasons, etc. Addionally, the recognized townships are over-crowded and many of the unrecognized villages are natural extensions of these towns.
The Bedouins have lived here for centuries and are an integral part of the Negev. They deserve, as all Israeli citizens, equal civil rights. I might point out as well, that many Bedouin serve in the Israel Defence Forces but when completing their service, return to being "unrecognized" and once more, second-class citizens.
As an Israeli citizen, I am embarrassed by this deplorable situation. |
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