Israel

Compromise or conflict After the violence in Umm al-Hiran that claimed two lives, can the state push through Beduin resettlement in the Negev? By Ariel Ben Solomon

10 THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 HADAS PARUSH / FLASH90 / PARUSH HADAS

Beduins collect their belongings from the ruins of their demolished homes in the village of Umm al- Hiran in the southern Negev, January 18 THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 11

week after security forces clashed In a letter to Attorney General Avichai Man- violently with residents of Umm al- delblit a day after the incident, Erdan called AHiran, tensions in the unrecognized for a criminal investigation against Joint Beduin village remained high. The anger List MKs Ayman Odeh (), who was in the air was palpable as locals and visi- injured during the violence, Jamal Zahalka tors congregated in the mourning tent for (Balad) and (Balad). Yaqoub Musa Abu al-Qiyan, shot dead by MK Yousef Jabareen (Hadash), police during protests as bulldozers moved who also attended the protest, says the gov- in to begin demolishing the ramshackle ernment intends to uproot Umm al-Hiran settlement. in order to establish a Jewish settlement Police say al-Qiyan purposely rammed in the same place, “so why can’t the new and killed an officer, Staff Sgt.-Maj. Erez settlement be a combined Jewish and Arab Levi. Security authorities said after the in- settlement?” cident that al-Qiyan was a member of the “The state wants to concentrate the Ne- southern branch of the Islamic Movement gev Arab Beduin in the smallest area of land​​ and may have been inspired by Islamic possible and treat them as enemies,” he as- State. However, local Beduin and Arab serts to The Report. MKs reject the police version of events, saying he lost control of his vehicle after We want the same being shot and only then crashed into the officer. conditions as Jews, but “Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanya- hu] is a liar,” says Akram Abu al-Qiyan, a the state does not want resident of Umm al-Hiran and nephew of to give land to Arabs the dead man. “We want an investigation into the killing.” because they are Arabs The clash took place on January 18 when debates, which has continued for Israeli authorities began enforcing a Su- years, intensified after the government preme Court decision to evict the residents As to the charge that the Arab MKs are began pushing the Prawer-Begin resettle- to make way for a Jewish town called Hiran. creating violence through incitement, ment bill, which passed its first reading in Shacks and wreckage from the demoli- Jabareen responds, “The residents of Umm the Knesset in the summer of 2013. That tions become apparent as you turn onto the al-Hiran approached the Joint List in order bill sought a compromise by legalizing 63 bumpy, off-road dirt path leading down and to help protect their community and came to percent of land claimed by the Beduin. The into the isolated village, a 30-minute drive the Knesset several times. bill’s Arab opponents deemed it insufficient, from Beersheba and located just east of “We stand by them not because they are and those on the Right saw it as too gener- Hura, a recognized village, where al-Qiyan Arabs, but because they are victims,” he ous, preventing the plan from succeeding. was a high school teacher. adds. In December 2013, the government de- In the mourning tent, local residents in Jabareen says the violence that occurred cided to suspend the plan after coming jeans, as well as a number of bearded Is- was initiated by the police and not the Bed- up against stiff opposition in the Knesset. lamic fundamentalists dressed in Salafi tra- uin, and he blames police for the two deaths Coalition MKs retracted their support after ditional robes and sandals, listened to talks that occurred. “We will continue to demand learning that the Beduin had not agreed to by various visiting Arab figures, including a a commission of inquiry until the truth the plan. Christian Orthodox priest from Jerusalem, comes out,” he says. The State Comptroller highlighted the and some Jews. Umm al-Hiran was just the latest flash- Negev Beduin issue in a May 2016 report, While no Arab MKs were present on the point in the ongoing and sometimes violent which stated that one third of the estimated day The Jerusalem Report visited, they conflict between the state and its Beduin 200,000 Beduin in the Negev live in unrec- were there in full force during the demoli- citizens over the sprawling unrecognized ognized settlements. The Beduin population tions. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan settlements scattered across the Negev is expected to double in 15 years, according has blamed Arab politicians for inciting vi- desert. to the report, which recommended that the olence and preventing a negotiated solution. The cycle of demolitions, protests and state settle the ownership claims as quickly

12 THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 Policemen stand guard outside Umm al- Yair Maayan, head of the Beduin Devel- Hiran as bulldozers demolish dwellings in opment and Settlement Authority in the Ne- line with a court order gev, tells The Report that the state made “a very generous offer” before the police op- eration to dismantle Umm al-Hiran began, ployment within the Beduin community,” and that the state is committed to resettling Arnon Peleg, the spokesman for the Negev the Beduin. Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, tells The Report. “However, we believe that the ACCORDING TO Maayan, the deal tenta- ‘illegal housing’ Minister Ariel is referring tively reached with the Beduin the night be- to is the ongoing state policy of neglect, fore the police action included a free plot of which can only be solved by recognition land worth 200,000 shekels in Hura for each of the over 30 unrecognized villages in the family, and the option to buy another plot Negev. for children at a discounted price of 120,000 “More enforcement will only hurt the shekels. In addition, every family would trust between the Beduin community and have received compensation of 100,000 to the state, which is crucial for this new plan 200,000 shekels for their illegal structures. to succeed.” “Unfortunately, the night before the evac- Ofer Dagan, coordinator of the Negev uation – after they had already agreed to project for the NGO Sikkuy – the Associa- a deal – the Beduin village leadership ar- tion for the Advancement of Civic Equality rived at our offices and suddenly asked for – tells The Report that for decades, the gov- 400,000 shekels compensation for each ernment policy prevented viable services family and 1,500 shekels for each family for the Arab Beduin living in the unrecog- for agriculture; an additional 15 properties AMMAR AWAD / REUTERS / AWAD AMMAR nized villages. for their sheep; and land to build shops and “It is time for the government ministries for industry.” as possible and develop the area. to invest efforts in making critical services Maayan speculates that phone calls to the such as education and public transportation Beduin delegation received from outside ON FEBRUARY 12, the government ap- accessible to them.” parties at the last minute sparked exagger- proved a five-year (2017-2022) three bil- He is calling on the government to reach a ated demands that scuttled a deal. lion shekel plan to develop the Beduin sec- solution with the Beduin through direct ne- “At first they came to sign, and then after tor in the south. gotiations with the local committees of the they started getting calls they raised their “The program combines activities in the unrecognized villages. demands,” he says. areas of education and society while simul- The Supreme Court had already ruled in taneously taking substantive action against The state wants to give the state’s favor to demolish the illegal set- illegal building and returning land to the tlement. “We had no obligation, but wanted state,” said Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, us a small amount of to prevent the violence ‒ to have them leave who is responsible for regulating Beduin by agreement.” settlement in the south. land and throw all of Asked about involvement of Arab MKs The plan also includes a budget for im- the Arabs onto it on the side of the Beduin, Maayan says they proving infrastructure and creating 10 new were constantly in touch with the Beduin industrial zones to increase the employment leaders and left-wing NGOs to work out rate. Only 25 percent of Beduin women and The state counters that it had sought to a better deal for the Beduin vis-à-vis the 64 percent of men are employed. According ward off the need to evacuate Umm al- government. to data released by Israel’s Central Bureau Hiran forcibly by offering generous terms Regarding the state’s future plan for deal- of Statistics, the employment rate in the to residents, but the proposal was thwarted ing with the issue, Maayan says, “We will fourth quarter of 2016 among Jews ages 25- by radical elements in the Arab sector and continue to go family to family to work out 64 was 81.6 percent. NGOs that have become obstacles to any deals. We think we can come to an agree- “It is high time that the government de- settlement that does not meet all the Beduin ment with the majority of Beduin.” vote funds to support education and em- demands by legalizing illegal settlement. He expects future evacuations of illegal

THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 13 Israel

settlements to be easier after the Umm al- Hiran demolition is completed because it will establish that the state is serious. He sees the state finishing the resettlement process for the entire Negev over the next six to eight years, predicting that most Beduin will end up settling for a deal similar to what was offered to the residents of Umm al-Hiran.

ELI ATZMON, former deputy head of the Beduin Development and Settlement Au- thority (1996-2000) and currently serving as an adviser to local Negev Beduin author- ities, tells The Report that the state’s version of events in Umm al-Hiran should not be believed. He blames the government for not start- ing the negotiations earlier and giving them more time. “The problem of the Beduin is not a judicial problem, but a social one. If the solution is judicial, then they can all be evacuated,” he says. Atzmon explains that some of the land that the state wishes to grant the Beduin al- ready has been divvied up among the fam- ilies themselves, and that if Beduin from an outside family moved in it would create conflict. “The law of the Beduin is stronger than logical with only small numbers joining the The politicians seek that of the state,” he says. Islamic Movement, Islamic State or nation- Atzmon recalls that he was dealing with alist political movements such as the Balad media attention and the issue of Umm al-Hiran back in 1997, party, a faction in the Joint List that holds when some 80 percent of the residents three Knesset seats. don’t do anything. The agreed to move to Hura but the minority Dr. Mordechai Zaken, head of minority blew up the deal. affairs in the Public Security Ministry, tells Beduin are not suckers. Regarding current events, he does not see The Report that “the primary Beduin loyal- It cannot be that the the reason for the government to use force, ty by far is to their own family or clan, and saying, “Israel will not succeed by doing they use the religious and nationalist politi- Arab MKs come [only] anything by force in the Negev,” and that cal movements for their own benefit.” clashes will continue if the state continues This reality creates an opening for the when there is a conflict to destroy settlements. state to negotiate and deal pragmatically As for the involvement of Arab MKs and with the families themselves, but the Arab the Islamic Movement, Atzmon says they MKs, NGOs, and a minority of ideological- carrying this out has been thwarted by their usually enter where there is a vacuum, and ly radical Beduin forces have coopted the leadership’s submission to greater political where there is poverty, poor infrastructure Beduin issue, making it harder to solve. forces. and unemployment, which ripen the condi- Beduin in Umm al-Hiran and nearby vil- Faiz Alawil, a schoolteacher from the tions for these political movements to enter. lages say they are open to compromise. Yet Beduin town of Tel Sheva, located about Indeed, the Beduin tend to be non-ideo- sources tell The Report that the reality of 30 minutes west of Umm al-Hiran, says he

14 THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 AMIR COHEN / REUTERS / COHEN AMIR REUTERS / AWAD AMMAR

would like to see the Beduin move from tion, we would agree,” he says. “We want (Above) Police and demonstrators clash unrecognized villages into recognized ones the same conditions as Jews, but the state after a resident of the village and a and gain access to improved health care, ed- does not want to give land to Arabs because policeman were killed during the early ucation and standard of living. they are Arabs. The solution can only come hours of the operation; (left) Joint List MK from the government.” Ayman Odeh was injured during the clashes ALAWIL, HOWEVER, accuses Arab pol- That sentiment is backed up by anoth- iticians, in particular from the Islamic er resident of Lakiya who did not want Movement and Balad, of using the issue for to be identified. “We want to take part in ize the conflict, but this strategy could prove propaganda purposes to boost their influ- the country, to integrate, but the other side to be limited since the new US administra- ence in the Beduin sector. doesn’t want us,” he says. tion probably will oppose any international “The politicians seek media attention and Saying that Lakiya is overcrowded and moves to condemn or punish Israel. don’t do anything,” he says. “The Beduin the city limits need to be expanded, he The question is whether the state will have are not suckers. It cannot be that the Arab adds, “The state wants to give us a small the stomach to push resettlement, come hell MKs come [only] when there is a conflict. ” amount of land and throw all of the Arabs or high water. If the state demonstrates this Younis Abu Saad of the nearby recog- onto it.” during the next demolitions, its resettlement nized village of Lakiya, also located with- While it appears likely the state will have strategy is likely to be successful, forcing in the cluster of villages near Hura, says some success in convincing Beduin to ac- the Beduin to compromise or come away the government is not offering the Beduin cept resettlement offers, resistance is likely with nothing ‒ which is what happened to enough land or money for resettlement. to continue each step of the way. Arab MKs those residents of Umm al-Hiran who re- “If the state would offer us a good solu- and NGOs will seek to further international- jected the deal offered to them. 

THE JERUSALEM REPORT MARCH 6, 2017 15