These Lands Were Not Empty
For centuries, the Negev (Naqab in Arabic) was home to Bedouin tribes whose livelihoods were based on pastoralism, small-scale agriculture, and community-based land use. The Bedouins, who identify as Arab, Muslim, and part of a nomadic tradition, had a deep connection to the land, which was managed through customary tribal systems rather than formalized land ownership as understood today. In the Ottoman era and later under the British Mandate, the Bedouins retained de facto control over extensive Negev lands, navigating these complex rule changes while maintaining their way of life and independence from centralized authorities. Their mobility and seasonal migration allowed them to manage the arid desert conditions effectively. However, the lack of state recognition for their traditional land use became increasingly problematic with the establishment of Israel.
The Bedouin Community, Indigenous people of the Negev / Naqab
Today, there are about 300,000 Bedouin living in the Negev (34% of the population in the area). Bedouin struggle for equal rights, their right to own land, legal recognition of their villages, and recognition of their culture. About 200,000 Bedouin citizens live in 7 barebones towns that were established by the state and 11 state-recognized villages. 80% live under the poverty line. 100,000 live in 35 unrecognized villages and do not receive basic services such as running water, electricity, roads, education and health and welfare services. In addition, they live under the constant threat of home demolitions, destruction of their crops, and expulsion from their ancestral lands.
A History of Dispossession
In 1948, between 65,000 - 100,000 Bedouin lived in the Negev region. After the 1948 war, only 11,000 Arab Bedouin remained. Israel displaced entire villages and, until 1966, concentrated the Bedouin in a closed zone under military administration known by the name al-Siyāj (سياج). Most of the lands in the Siyāj area were then zoned as agricultural land. In one swoop, all existing houses were subsequently labeled “illegal.” Consequently, Israel transformed almost the entire Arab Bedouin collective into a population of ״lawbreakers,״ simply for exercising their basic right to adequate housing. Thus Bedouin villages became “unrecognized,” and they are not marked on official maps. The Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF) keeps an accurate map of Bedouin villages on their website.
Erasure Under Legal Guise
The designation of “unrecognized villages” has become one of the most enduring forms of dispossession. These villages, home to tens of thousands, lack legal standing, making residents ineligible for basic infrastructure, such as electricity, water, and sanitation. Efforts to displace Bedouins from these unrecognized villages have persisted for decades, with Israel citing security and development reasons. The Prawer Plan of 2011 sought to permanently relocate tens of thousands of Bedouins, consolidating them into urbanized areas to “develop” the Negev. Although marketed as an integration effort with compensation offers, the plan faced international condemnation as a thinly veiled attempt at forced displacement. Due to widespread opposition, the plan was shelved in 2013, but its implications have endured. Despite promises of fairness, the Bedouin community, along with human rights organizations, continues to see these policies as rooted in a desire for land rather than genuine integration.
While All Eyes Are Elsewhere
Today, demolitions and displacement are escalating. In recent years, Israel has razed numerous Bedouin villages, such as Wadi al-Khalil, often under the justification of expanding infrastructure or improving regional “security.” Currently, the Bedouin people argue that the ongoing Gaza conflict is being exploited to further accelerate their displacement. Security rhetoric has allowed the Israeli government to frame the demolitions as necessary for national defense, creating what advocacy groups call a dangerous precedent. This heightened security climate effectively silences Bedouin objections and has facilitated the recent wave of forced evictions and demolitions.
A Call For Action
As the world watches the Middle East with heightened focus, advocates and Bedouin leaders are calling for international awareness and intervention. They argue that the destruction of Negev communities under the guise of security should not be ignored, as it reflects a long-standing pattern of marginalization and exclusion. For the Bedouins, this struggle is not only about land but about the survival of a people whose roots and traditions are inextricably tied to the desert they call home.
Next week, bulldozers are scheduled to arrive in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran and demolish its meager infrastructure and family homes. This will be another cruel step in the population transfer plan, which will uproot and displace approximately 9,000 citizens from their homes and lands. In place of Umm al-Hiran, the settlement "Dror" (meaning "freedom" in Hebrew) is planned to be built, with cynical cruelty. Of course, the freedom there will be exclusively for Jewish people, while the native inhabitants, the men and women of Umm al-Hiran, will be left with nothing.
Today (4.11.2024), the court decided to delay the demolition in Umm al-Hiran pending a response from the state. The judge, Ga'ula Levin, gave the state ten days to submit its response, but if the state responds quickly, the petition may be dismissed earlier than Sunday and the demolition will proceed as planned. This delay is important but not binding, as that happened in Umm al-Hatan last May, but ultimately the demolition plan in the Al-Agnamy and Abu Lyal neighborhoods was approved. The petition, representing approximately 85% of Umm al-Hiran's residents, demands the implementation of the Bedouin Authority's agreement with the residents from 2018 and the issuance of injunctions against the demolitions.
We call on the authorities to refrain from demolishing Umm al-Hiran until a renewed agreement with the residents is signed, including a housing exchange prior to the village's demolition. Share the information, join the resistance actions in Umm al-Hiran this week and the presence guards in the village. Stand with the communities against the uprooting, theft, and ethnic cleansing in the Negev.
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