Bedouin village near Sakhnin wins official government recognition

The Interior Ministry on Tuesday officially recognized the northern Bedouin village of Arab el-Naeem, seven years after promising to boost infrastructure in the area.

The village, which is under the jurisdiction of the Misgav Regional Council, will now receive state funds and be permitted to establish a formal municipal, and send representatives to the regional council. Until now, the residents were considered part of the neighboring Israeli Arab village Sakhnin.

The government recognized the need to build permanent infrastructure in the village in 1999, as part of an agenda pushed by the Misgav Regional Council to advance the village.

A local committee has been established to manage the village's muncicipal affairs. The village has also been awarded the right to create a community symbol.

Misgav Regional Council chief Erez Kryzler said that the council will provide the village with a municipal assistant charged with helping the local committee deal with the council and government ministries. The same assistance has been given to other formerly unrecognized villages.

Residents called the recognition as positive step on the part of the government, but said they were still waiting for the move to come into fruition.

"Seven years ago when the government started the recognition process, we celebrated, but to no avail. We hope that this time it will be different, and we won't remain a village in a third-world country," said a resident.