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Government says most Bedouin-Israelis support Prawer plan despite weekend protests
The Israeli government official responsible for implementing the so-called Prawer plan being debated by the Knesset, designed to regulate Bedouin settlement in the Negev region of southern Israel, said most Bedouin support the proposed legislation.
Maj. Gen. (res) Doron Almog, who oversees putting the plan into effect, told the Knesset Channel that “A large majority of the Bedouin want a dramatic change.” Almog told Haaretz 80 per cent of Bedouin residents support the plan and that those who led demonstrations against it at the weekend, “don’t come from within the Bedouin community.” On Saturday, police and demonstrators clashed at various locations including the Hura Junction in the Negev, in Haifa and in East Jerusalem. 15 police officers were lightly wounded and 30 demonstrators were arrested.
There are an estimated 200,000 Bedouin living in the Negev, but many live in illegal villages and encampments without access to amenities and public services. A government commission paved the way for proposed legislation, known as the Prawer plan, to be drawn up in the Prime Minister’s office, and subsequently revised by former-minister Benny Begin, following a period of consultation with the Bedouin community.
According to the proposed law, the state will compensate those Bedouin who have land claims with a combination of land and financial compensation. It also provides for the legalisation of unrecognised villages where the government deems it viable. According to the proposals, a minority, some 20,000 to 30,000 Bedouin will have to be relocated to recognised Bedouin towns, in order to be connected to Israel’s utility networks and have better access to state services. The plan stipulates that those who are moved will receive financial compensation as well as new plots of land.
However, the Prawer plan is vehemently opposed by those who object to moving Bedouin from land which they consider their own, although it has not been legally purchased. In addition, there are objections to disrupting the traditional Bedouin lifestyle, forcing Bedouin to settle in urban areas.