BEDOUINS VS THE STATE OF ISRAEL

From Freedom to Fear

The once proud indigenous people of the desert known as the Bedouins are now the poorest of Israeli citizens and struggle for survival. Although they number almost 200,000, they are invisible both to the Israeli society and to those working to bring peace to the region. Tens of thousands live in what are called "unrecognized villages" that don't appear on the map. These communities don't get any services such as water and electricity and don't receive the benefits other Israeli citizens take for granted - such as health care, education and paved roads. The Bedouin, the minority of the Arab minority, are citizens of the State of Israel and many serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Juxtaposed between a romanticized past and an uncertain future, the people are currently living in desperate circumstances.

The Israeli government refers to them as the "Bedouin problem" and has created a Ministerial Committee for the Advancement of Bedouin Affairs. Its leadership says they want a "once-and-for-all" solution to this Bedouin problem. According to a recent report submitted to the Minister of Construction and Housing, the "problem" wouldn't exist if they (the Bedouins) would just re-settle in the government created housing. Those who currently live in the eight villages approved by the government are not much better off than those in illegal areas. They have the highest unemployment rate and lowest incomes. They are often exploited as cheap labor in the nearby petro chemical or sewage disposal plants or as laborers in the surrounding Jewish only settlements. Drug abuse and suicide, previously unheard of, are becoming problems within the Bedouin society. There is an urgency heard from all sides about solving this problem.

On my recent trip to the region I stayed with a Bedouin family in the village of Tel Sheva in the Negev Desert. Tel Sheva's population of 17,000 live in a hastily constructed village built in 1968 as a "model" to lure the people from their land. For centuries - the Bedouin lived in the Negev for more than 7,000 years - they were free to move about, graze their cattle and support their families with dignity. Today it is freedom that is longed for. The persistent structural and cultural violence towards these non-Jewish citizens of Israel cries out to be heard. The human rights violations of the people and the degradation of the environment need to be addressed - urgently. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are among those who have expressed concern about the infringement of the population's civil and human rights.

At least 50,000 homes are considered illegal by the government and under demolition orders. When the structures are destroyed, the occupants are also fined for building without a permit. Of course, since they don't have permission to be on the land in the first place, permits for building aren't even an option. Even goat pens get demolition orders and fines are charged for grazing animals on "state-owned land". Thus, more than 50% of the Bedouin living in the Negev Desert region are caught in a "catch -22" with no way out and nowhere to go.

Water, a precious commodity in an arid land, is considered state property. Collecting it in cisterns - an ancient method of conserving water - is forbidden. Israeli bulldozers regularly destroy any evidence of water collection. The increased desertization of the region as well as the Israeli government's policies of restricting water to non-Jews is taking a huge toll on the land and the people. A culture that included a peaceful, pastoral and semi-nomadic lifestyle no longer exists. Instead the people live in fear and humility. A Bedouin poster proclaims, "Call no Bedouin happy until he is dead".

There is a positive piece to this story. BUSTAN http://www.bustan.org/ is an Israeli non-governmental organization that works to bring environmental justice to the land and human rights to the Bedouin people. The Jewish/Bedouin organization has earned its reputation for organizing and agitating on behalf of the Bedouins and the environmental degradation of their homeland. They have received support from foundations and organizations in the US and Europe and persist in their mission of bringing justice to the land and the people.

BUSTAN's "Negev Unplugged" tours take people to places they would not normally see and hear stories directly from the people. The "Children's Power Project", in conjunction with the solar energy company Interdan, provided the needed solar power for refrigeration of medicines for sick children. Last year a mosque was constructed with straw bales and other natural building materials in the village of Wadi al-Naam. Early in the morning of December 25^th, 2008, it was demolished. The world watched the event on YouTube and read articles in various news outlets - thanks to the work of BUSTAN staff and volunteers.

Raed al-Mikawi, the executive director of BUSTAN, is a young Bedouin man well suited to a position that requires understanding the language and culture of all involved parties. His first seventeen years of life were lived in the old way with strong ties to the land his family called home for generations. Now he navigates through the several languages (Arabic, Hebrew and English) and technologies needed to promote BUSTAN's mission. The word bustan means a fruit bearing orchard in both Arabic and Hebrew. That is the vision of BUSTAN - a sustainable peace among Bedouins, Jews and the land of the Negev.

BUSTAN's current work is focused on the newly recognized village of Qasr el-Sir. It lies on the ancient spice route between Amman, Jordan and the port city of Gaza and provided refugee and hospitality for merchants and travelers. For many years the people of the village were locked in a battle with a government that wanted to move them to another place. They wanted to stay on their land and refused to move. Soon shacks were constructed without any plan or infrastructure and in the 1990's many buildings were demolished by Israeli bulldozers.

The people of Qasr el-Sir decided to gather their strength and organize. They staged protests and petitions of human rights violations and got the attention of the international community. They appealed to the court and, miraculously, won! Even though their village is now officially recognized by the government, there are still no services - such as water, sewer or paved roads - to the houses. Two middle schools and a small health center that has running water have been built. The community awaits the other promised services which they say are deserved. As Israeli citizens, they pay taxes and serve in the military.

In partnership with BUSTAN, several paid organizers and the village council are planning to build houses that take Bedouin culture into account. The houses will be built with an openness that resembles the large tents in which they once lived. Other cultural considerations include: facing east, using natural building materials and enough land for a garden and a few animals. A community center is under design that is hoped will be a model for others to follow. It includes a meeting space for the generations to gather and a place for job training and empowerment of women.

BUSTAN staff and volunteers continue grass roots education and organizing. They negotiate with the government and protest violations. What seems to some like an insurmountable "Bedouin problem" is being deliberated worked on by hopeful Bedouin and Jewish activists. They welcome the support of the international community to bring peace with justice to the land and the people of the Negev.

Written by Bette Rainbow Hoover This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , an activist for justice and peace, a member of the Howard County Coalition for Peace & Justice and on the board of the

Washington Peace Center http://www.washingtonpeacecenter.org/

~Just Peace Circles, Inc. www.justpeacecircles.org a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization~