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Email-Chronik ab 3.4.11 vom Negev
Coexistence Forum (https://www.dukium.org/)
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NCF's Update from the Negev-Naqab
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29.9.23
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Protest due to lack of classrooms and transportation:
Parents,
students and teachers from the Bedouin communities located along Route
40 organized a protest in the Kiryat Hamemshala (Government Center) in
Beer Sheva to highlight the challenges faced by Bedouin children in the
Negev-Naqab region. The protest pointed to the government's neglect to
provide enough classrooms for these children. Indeed, hundreds of
Bedouin children are currently learning in tents or staying at home due
to a lack of schools and classrooms. Many protesters wore Corona face
masks with an "X" to symbolize frustration and the futility of raising
one's voice when no one is listening.
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"I too want to learn, but I don't have a class. I don't have transportation."
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At
the beginning of the school year, some students were forced to travel
long distances on camels or donkeys to reach their schools due to the
government's failure to provide transportation. This transportation
crisis affected hundreds of students, forcing them to find their way to
school in dreadfully hot conditions. The bus companies responsible for
transporting approximately 6,500 students daily abruptly ceased
operations, citing claims of unpaid bills dating back to February 2023.
The
protest serves as a stark reminder of ongoing disparities in
educational opportunities in Israel and a plea for justice, equality,
and the right to a quality education for all children. The hope is that
this demonstration will ignite meaningful change and pave the way for a
brighter and more equitable future for Bedouin students in the
Negev-Naqab, or at the very least, cause the government to provide the
bare minimum: Transportation and classrooms!
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Children going to school in the Negev-Naqab
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Update on home demolitions
Since
the new Israeli government was sworn in, the number of home demolitions
and the issuance of demolition orders and warnings had increased
dramatically. Specifically, September was a challenging month. Recently,
68 buildings in Bedouin villages in the Negev-Naqab have been
destroyed. Several of these buildings were home to families. As has
happened in the past, most of these families did not have the time to
gather their belongings before the demolition and lost everything in the
process.
From
January 2023 until mid-September, the Ministry of National Security,
through the Southern Administration for the Coordination of Land Law
Enforcement and in cooperation with the Israel Police, worked to
demolish no less than 3,085 buildings and issued 1,855 demolition orders
– thus achieving a despicable new record of destruction and
displacement.
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NCF's
Executive Director, Haia Noach, and Local Advocacy Coordinator Huda Abu
Obaid on Kan Channel, talking about the last wave of home demolitions.
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New calendar:
On
the occasion of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), it is with great
pleasure that we have published our new calendar, proudly highlighting
photographs taken by children from unrecognized villages in the
Negev-Naqab. Through the lens of a camera, the children have the
opportunity to document their lives and the stories in their village.
This calendar is a result of their work. We hope you enjoy this calendar
as much as we have enjoyed helping to bring it to life.
By buying our calendar, you are supporting our work!
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NCF's new calendar
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13.9.23
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Dear diplomats, friends & partners,
The Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality is proud to present its 2022 Annual Report,
expressing gratitude to partners, donors, and supporters for their
unwavering support and collaboration in the Negev/Naqab region. Without
them, our organization would not have been able to make such a
meaningful impact.
Our
work remains crucial, and we are more determined than ever to continue
striving for a just and equitable society in the Negev/Naqab. This is
why NCF will continue to stand with Bedouin communities in their
struggle, to press their demands for equality, and to support them in
resisting the dispossession of their villages, heritage, and traditional
way of life.
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Meeting with the Austrian Ambassador
It
was a pleasure to meet H.E. Ambassador Nikolaus Lutterotti at the
Austrian Embassy last month. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to
tell you more about the history and the current situation and struggles
of the Bedouin community in the Negev.
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Meeting with
the Austrian Ambassador (Photo: H.E Nikolaus Lutterotti, Ambassador of
Austria, Khalil Alamour, NCF’s board member, Huda Abu Obaid, Local
Advocacy Coordinator, Chloe Portheault, International Advocacy
coordinator).
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Infogram on Home Demolitions 2022
You can now find the exact number of Home demolitions for the year 2022 on our website.
House
demolitions are a tool used by the State to try to drive Bedouin
residents out of unrecognized villages and forcefully relocate them in
crowded municipalities without regard for their social structures and
traditional agrarian livelihoods. By making life in unrecognized
villages unbearable, people are made to move to places they would not
otherwise go. Tens of thousands of Bedouins in the Negev/Naqab are
currently living in homes that are subject to demolition orders. The
issuance of those demolition orders is only possible because there are
no approved building plans for their villages. NCF professes that these
practices violate the right of citizens to adequate housing, the right
to liberty and security of the person recognized in the 1948 Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the 1966 International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
Only
official State recognition of the villages and the initiation of
participatory and communitarian planning and building processes will
create trust among the Bedouin community members and bring them to work
with the State.
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Increase in home demolitions
Israeli
forces performed a large number of house demolitions in August. For the
first time since the establishment of the State of Israel, two
Ministers were present at the demolition of Bedouin homes in the
Negev-Naqab. One of them was Itamar Ben Gvir, who extolled what he
called "a sacred work". On August 31st alone, no fewer than 29
buildings, including 12 houses, were demolished by Israeli forces. The
Bedouin families who lived in these houses did not even have time to
pack anything. The next day, the children started the new school year
without a roof over their heads.
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NCF’s Local Advocacy Coordinator Huda Abu Obaid in an interview on Musawa Channel after a large home demolition operation in the Negev-Naqab.
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172 Murders in the Arab community since the beginning of 2023
In
the past month, NCF has participated in several protests against the
violence plaguing the Arab community and the inaction of the Israeli
government. Some of these protests were met with violence by the police.
The police claim that their officers have been too busy with the
protests against the government’s judicial reform to deal with this
ongoing wave of violence. This is yet another pretext to distract public
opinion from the abandonment of the Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Instead of offering solutions, the government continues to incite
against its Arab citizens, or, as the “Haaretz” journalist Jack Khoury
wrote, “keeps kicking them while they are down”.
To
make matters worse, Finance Minister Smotrich’s refusal to transfer the
200 million shekels promised by the previous government to the Arab
communities threatens to destabilize their local councils with a clear
danger of severe consequences. As the most vulnerable community in
Israel, the Bedouins will undoubtedly pay a heavy price.
Along
with 27 other civil society organizations, NCF issued a letter to Prime
Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel,
demanding to allocate the budget promised to the Arab local authorities.
This budget is crucial to their socio-economic development. Failure to
transfer this money will only reward criminal organizations and condemn
Arab society to poverty.
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The
28 civil society organizations who issued the letter to Prime Minister
Benyamin Netanyahu and Minister of Interior Moshe Arbel.
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Protest against the wave of violence in Arab communities and against the inaction of the government in Tel Aviv.
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9.7.23 (etwas anders als am 4.7.23)
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After
a lengthy legal procedure that lasted for 15 years, the District Court
in Beer Sheva rejected the ownership claims of the residents of
al-ʿArāgīb. Judge Geula Levin dismissed the plaintiffs' arguments that
the property expropriation procedure carried out in 1954 under the
directives of the then Finance Minister Levy Eshkol was flawed.
Judge
Levin did not accept the contention of the plaintiffs that the Land
Acquisition Law of 1953 was designed to legalize expropriations carried
out between the State's foundation and 1952 "without legal authority".
On
Saturday, July 29th, the residents of Al-ʿArāgīb, their relatives and
several Human Rights organizations, including NCF, will hold a large
protest gathering, in the village on road 40, commemorating the 13th
year of destruction of the village (Al-ʿArāgīb was demolished for the
218th time on June 19th) and protesting the judicial decision and the
continuing home demolitions. Your presence and support will be much
appreciated!
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A home being demolished in Al-ʿArāgīb. The photo was taken by A, resident of Al-ʿArāgīb
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The
Ministerial Committee for Regulating the Settlement and Economic
Development of the Bedouin Community in the Negev recently approved the
Chikli Plan. Chikli, who, as Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Minister
of Social Equality, is responsible for the Bedouin community, presented
the committee with a plan that is essentially aggressive and aimed at
concentrating enforcement efforts in four places, including Rahat and
its environs, Hurah, Mareit in the Arad Valley area, and Bir Hadaj.
The
plan could lead to a massive eviction of villages, including the
inhabitants of Tal-Arad near Arad and later the inhabitants of Awajan
near Lakiya. The plan aims to quickly complete the process of forced
concentration in existing towns without adding or recognizing any
Bedouin village. This contradicts the government's plan to build 14 new
Jewish settlements in the Negev. It vaguely promises to speed up the
establishment of industrial zones in the Negev-Naqab, but provides no
funds for this purpose. On the other hand, it allocates funds to
strengthen law enforcement forces, in particular, 18 million shekels
(almost 4.5 million euros) for the police to use force against Bedouin
villages located on future national infrastructure.
We
again emphasize that while the Israeli Government is ostensibly
promoting the development of the Negev-Naqab, it does so without
consulting with the Bedouin community. Contrary to what should be in a
democracy, the Government continues to see the Bedouins as an obstacle
to development rather than as partners in the decision-making process.
It should be noted that none of the Bedouin leaders or representatives
were invited for consultation, a decision was simply made on their
behalf.
As
a result, no viable alternatives for preserving Bedouin communities and
serving them and their growth were considered. The Israeli Government
continues to demolish their homes and expel them, against their will,
from their ancestral lands for the benefit of others, contrary to
international conventions ratified by Israel.
As
a reminder, in 1986 the United Nations recognized the “right to
development” in its Declaration on the Right to Development. It states
that “development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and
political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the
well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis
of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in
the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom." In 2007, the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People recognized the right to
development as an indigenous right.
This
month, our team conducted several Photography workshops with children
in the unrecognized villages of Umm al-Ḥīrān and ʿAtīr. During the
workshops, the children talked about school, the end of the school year,
their grades and what they want to learn in the future, and what
opportunities they have. They talked about the holidays (the upcoming
Eid). They also talked about the possibility of moving as a result of
the new plans to displace them. All these matters worry them greatly!
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Photo taken by the children of Umm al-Ḥīrān after a photography workshop: The children drew pictures on a free topic of their choice.
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4.7.23
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After
a lengthy legal procedure that lasted for 15 years, the District Court
in Beer Sheva rejected the ownership claims of the residents of
al-ʿArāgīb. Judge Geula Levin dismissed the plaintiffs' arguments that
the property expropriation procedure carried out in 1954 under the
directives of the then Finance Minister Levy Eshkol was flawed.
Judge
Levin did not accept the contention of the plaintiffs that the Land
Acquisition Law of 1953 was designed to legalize expropriations carried
out between the State's foundation and 1952 "without legal authority".
On
Saturday, July 29th, the residents of Al-ʿArāgīb, their relatives and
several Human Rights organizations, including NCF, will hold a large
protest gathering, at the junction of the village on road 40,
commemorating the 13th year of destruction of the village (Al-ʿArāgīb
was demolished for the 218th time on June 19th) and protesting the
judicial decision and the continuing home demolitions. Your presence and
support will be much appreciated!
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A home being demolished in Al-ʿArāgīb. The photo was taken by Aziz, resident of Al-ʿArāgīb
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This
week, the Bedouin ministry committee approved Minister Amichai Chikli’s
plan for the Negev-Naqab in the next coming years. The aggressive plan
has lots of sticks and a few carrots. Chikli, who is the Minister of
Diaspora Affairs and the Minister for Social Equality, said that the
plan will enable the State to solve all of the problems of unrecognized
villages around Rahat. Really? Given the poor, recycled and aggressive
ideas he offered, there are many reasons to doubt the feasibility of the
program, but it is certain that it will cause damage to the Bedouin
community and widen the gap between the community and the State, a gap
that is unfortunately growing every year.
We
emphasize once again that while the Israeli Government is ostensibly
promoting the development of the Negev-Naqab, it does so without
consulting with the Bedouin community. Contrary to what should be in a
democracy, the Government continues to see the Bedouins as an obstacle
to development, rather than as partners in the decision-making process.
It should be noted that none of the Bedouin representatives were invited
for consultation, a decision was simply made on their behalf.
As
a result, no viable alternatives for preserving Bedouin communities and
serving them and their growth were considered. The Israeli Government
continues to demolish their homes and to expel them, against their will,
from their ancestral lands for the benefit of others, contrary to
international conventions ratified by Israel.
As
a reminder, in 1986 the United Nations recognized the “right to
development” in its Declaration on the Right to Development. It states
that “development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and
political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the
well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis
of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in
the fair distribution of benefits resulting therefrom." In 2007, the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognized the right to
development as an indigenous right.
This
month, our team conducted several Photography workshops with children
in the unrecognized villages of Umm al-Ḥīrān and ʿAtīr. During the
workshops, the children talked about school, the end of the school year,
their grades and what they want to learn in the future, and what
opportunities they have. They talked about the holidays (the upcoming
Eid). They also talked about the possibility of moving as a result of
the new plans to displace them. All these matters worry them greatly!
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Photo taken by the children of Umm al-Ḥīrān after a photography workshop: The children drew pictures on a free topic of their choice.
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13.6.23
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Dear diplomats, friends and partners,
The
last couple of months have been hectic! A lot has happened, and like
many other non-profit organizations in Israel, it has us worrying and
then some!
To
keep you updated with the situation and our work, we summarized in the
following newsletter what seems to us as the most important things to
know. If you share our concerns and wish to know more, you can contact
us, and we will gladly answer all of your questions!
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Update on the planned NGO taxation law
Just
recently, the Israeli government planned to introduce Knesset
legislation that would place a 65% tax on any funds received by Israeli
NGOs from foreign governments, if the organizations were involved in
advancing any public issue in the Knesset, a court of law, the
Government, or a local council two years before or two years after
receiving the funds. The obvious goal of the proposed law is to cut off
badly needed funds from all human rights organizations in Israel. The
proposed law is a menace to the very existence of our organization, and
such legislation could have disastrous effects on the lives and human
rights of the Bedouin community, as no one would have the possibility to
report human rights violations perpetrated by the government and its
administrative branches. The legislation obviously intended to damage
and neutralize Israeli civil society. Indeed, one of the pillars of an
effective democratic state is a thriving civil society.
After
a wave of protests from friendly foreign governments, PM Netanyahu
decided to set the proposal aside, thus removing the immediate danger.
It is important to note that the proposal still rests on the table and
can be brought back to the Knesset at any time.
We wish to express our gratitude to the many diplomats for their support and opposition to this dreadful law!
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al-ʿArāgīb
Most
of you have heard about this unrecognized Bedouin village located west
of Route 40. al-ʿArāgīb was demolished twice during May alone. As the
protests against the home demolitions and evictions have taken place
every Sunday for 13 years, and even though the trial to determine the
ownership of the land is still ongoing, the harassment of its residents
by Israeli authorities continues. On May 30th, the Yoav unit raided the
village at 5:15 am and arrested Sheikh Sayyach Al-tori, his son Aziz and
Sabach, Aziz’s wife. The three were interrogated for many hours and
were eventually released. The next day, al-ʿArāgīb was destroyed once
again for the 217th time since 2010.
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Residents of al-ʿArāgīb during the vigil that takes place every Sunday.
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Israeli Government plans to build new Jewish settlements in the Negev on Bedouin land and villages.
While
the Government continues to refuse to promote the recognition of more
than 30 Bedouin communities, it has set a precedent in allocating 1.6
billion NIS (approximately 437 million USD) for the accelerated
establishment of 14 new Jewish communities in the Negev during the next
two years. This is part of a large wave of planned efforts to expand
Jewish settlement in the area. The heads of the coalition openly
declared that the goal of the settlement wave was to ensure Jewish
dominance of the land and “demographic balance.”
It
is crucial to realize that some of these settlements will be built in
place of Bedouin villages without any consideration for the families
living there, including some of our dear colleagues.
*If you wish to learn more about this ongoing issue, read this article by NCF's Executive Diretor Haia Noach, and Shmulik David.
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The
map shows where the government plans to build some of the
new Settlements in the Negev in the next two years - Map provided by the
organization 'Bimkom' and translated into English by NCF with their
agreement.
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Lack of schools and kindergartens in the Negev-Naqab
Six
years ago, the Education Ministry presented a plan to reduce the number
of Bedouin children who don't attend preschool. However, due mainly to
the lack of kindergartens in the unrecognized Bedouin villages, 5,045
children from the Bedouin community (17% of the 3 to 5 years old) are
not registered in an educational facility, while almost all Jewish
children the same age are in educational facilities.
Several studies
have proven the benefits of preschool education, and we will continue
to demand that the Israeli government fulfill its duties and provide the
necessary infrastructures to allow all children the same rights and
access to early education.
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20.4.23
NCF Declaration of Opinion concerning the recent death of Muhammad Khaled al-Asibi
Israel has been rocked in recent weeks between democracy and dictatorship and internal struggles between its residents.
Under the auspices of this debate and this rift, there have been serious
incidents concerning the behavior of the police towards the
demonstrators and towards the minority populations in Israel.
The most recent and terrible of the police actions is the killing of
Muhammad Khaled al-Asibi by policemen at the Chain Gate in the Alaqsa
Mosque complex in Jerusalem. The police are attempting to cover up and
present the dead man as a terrorist and the one who opened fire on the
policemen. These unfounded accusations follow a pattern that we have
seen again and again in the past. Yesterday, the Negev Coexistence Forum
issued the following declaration of opinion:
NCF Opinion: The death of the late Muhammad al-Asibi
Early
Saturday morning, a medical student, Muhammad Khaled al-Asibi, was shot
to death at the Chain Gate, one of the entrances to the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. Al-Asibi was returning from the dawn prayer at the Al Aqsa
Mosque. The police claim that the young man grabbed a policeman's weapon
and was about to shoot nearby policewomen. Those claims are based on
the reports of the police officers and have not been verified, either on
security camera videos or any other documentation. Palestinian
eyewitnesses describe a conflict between police officers and young
people, in the middle of which al-Asibi was shot.
In
complex situations, the police must act professionally, with maximum
restraint in the use of force, particularly in circumstances where a
mistake could lead to the flare-up of conflicts and have far-reaching
consequences.
The
High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Affairs called a strike on Sunday in
all public and commercial institutions in Arab communities.
We
are troubled by the possibility that the police are not presenting
reliable and complete information about the incident and even may be
preventing access to such information.
We
join the broad public demand for a comprehensive, reliable, and quick
investigation of the event. It is only appropriate that the
representatives of the family and independent organizations participate
in the investigation.
We
are very disturbed by the lack of ability of the investigating
authorities, including the Police Investigation Unit, to conduct
reliable investigations which are not subject to institutional
pressures. This incident highlights the vital need for professional
policing and the danger inherent in establishing unprofessional civilian
police forces, and in particular political militias, especially in
light of past experience, including the investigation into the death,
and the events surrounding the death of the late Ya'acob Abu Al-Qian who
was shot by police officers in Umm Al-Hiran. During that failed and
biased investigation, false accusations were hurled at the grieving
family, and allegations were repeatedly made, which turned out to be
false five years later.
We
are very disturbed by the inability of the police to maintain proper
standards of legal action when the Minister of Internal Security incites
violent policing and among other things, repeatedly calls for ending
clashes with Arab protesters by way of lethal violence.
In
view of what is known about the Police Investigation Unit's failures in
many investigations, we join the family's claim for the establishment
of an autonomous and independent inspection committee to investigate
this incident.
We
call on the Government, the Knesset, and the courts to recognize the
clear danger resulting from the absence of an independent investigation
that can earn public trust. The Police Investigation Unit must be
strengthened, and its full independence guaranteed, and in particular,
its capacity to undertake autonomous and independent investigations.
We
call for the resignation of Minister Ben-Gvir, who repeatedly violates
basic norms of police conduct, and at the same time, incites against the
Arab public.
Our hearts go out to the community of Ḥūrah that is dealing with the loss of a young life, and to the grieving family.
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For any further information, do not hesitate to contact us by replying to this email or write us at intl.advocacy@dukium.org
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