The Negev Coexistence Forum Newsletter 19Th Edition, June 2013 Published in Hebrew/Arabic Bilingual Handout Format (See
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פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי Negev Coexistence Forum For Civil Equality The Negev Coexistence Forum Newsletter 19th Edition, June 2013 Published in Hebrew/Arabic bilingual handout format (see www.dukium.org) A word from the editor This is the 19th Newsletter of the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality. As in previous issues, this newsletter presents a summary of events that have occurred in the Negev in recent months. We hope that this newsletter, as previous issues, will help you keep informed of events taking place in the Negev. In the course of recent months many homes in the Negev have been demolished. The Prawer-Begin plan continues to progress and is in the process of becoming law in Israel while thousands of acres of freshly planted fields have been ploughed up by the Israel Lands Authority. The Negev Forum for Coexistence calls for an immediate change in Israeli government policy towards the Arab Bedouin of the Negev and demands that the new government immediately retracts the Prawer Plan and reaches a mutually agreed solution with the Bedouin Community on the basis of a negotiated settlement. Visit our website, Facebook, and Twitter to keep informed of current events and activities organized by the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality. We wish to thank the many volunteers who support the NCF’s activities and those who have shared their thoughts and efforts to help prepare and distribute this newsletter. Forests of Guilt, Displacement, and Eviction Ofer Degan, Field Co-Coordinator, Forum for Co-Existence and Civil Equality The German States’ Forest, which forest has sixteen pillars with the names Black Forest in Germany inspired the was planted in the area of Lehavim in of the numerous German countries, famous Grimm’s fairy tales, the forests commemoration of the Holocaust, stands communities, and organizations that of Eastern Europe are filled with mass on land that was confiscated from the contributed to the planting of the forest. graves, and this new German forest Abu Freih family by the State of Israel. Smaller monuments scattered throughout perpetuates this tradition. This time, The forests of the Negev constitute the forest commemorate events, people, however, we are not talking about the one landscape that conceals another, or communities connected with the painful past of European Jewry, which and do more to obliterate history than German-Jewish past. is not hidden, but inscribed in bold relate it. letters for all to see. During recent weeks the What this European forest, SPD (German Democratic which was planted in Party) has been conducting the heart of the Negev a campaign to raise funds by the Jewish National to plant a new forest in the Fund, has to hide is the Negev commemorating Israel’s expropriation of land 65th Independence Day. The in the areas in which it campaign urges members was planted. Some of to purchase a tree in the the land upon which the forest as a Christmas gift forest is planted belongs for friends and family, and to the Bedouin family of to take part in Germany’s Abu- Freih. Like many contribution to the forestation Bedouin Arab citizens, the of the Land of Israel, of which members of the Abu Freih “large parts still suffer from family were evicted from barrenness, lack of water, their land by the military and rich soil.” government during the German States Forest in the Negev 1950s. Throughout the According to the campaign, One might ask: “What’s 1970s and 1980s they submitted claims the new forest is a direct continuation the problem with a project that is of ownership of their land whenever of the German States Forest that was both ecological and educational, and they were able, based upon testimony dedicated during the 60th anniversary of strengthens diplomatic relations between or original documents. The claim the establishment of the State of Israel. nations? Israel gets a forest, and regarding the areas upon which the The German States Forest was financed Germany gets another opportunity forest was planted was automatically by a number of organizations and to atone for its inexhaustible guilt. rejected on the pretext that they had communities throughout Germany and Everyone is happy.” However, as we already undergone a process of land was planted by the Jewish National Fund. well know, forests - particularly German settlement. The Jewish National A large monument at the entrance to the forests - tend to hide dark secrets. The Fund, as mentioned earlier, is presently Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality P.O. Box 130, Omer 84965, Israel Phone: 050-7701118/9 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.dukium.org Forests of Guilt, Displacement, and Eviction (continued from page 1) using the land to complete the strip a massive distortion of history here. of German guilt. Commemoration of of forests that physically separate the I’m certain that if my German friends the Holocaust is precious and important West Bank from the Gaza Strip and knew that I can’t come back here and to many families in Israel, and there separate both these areas from the that my historical memories and those is no point in elaborating here on its Bedouin community in the Negev. of my family are being obliterated, they collective significance. For this reason would not have agreed to this.” we cannot agree that it be used cynically The policy of forestation in the northern to bring about new injustices. In this Negev is an expression of the ethos of I want to believe that the German citizens case we are speaking about a twofold security and sacrifice that serves as who contributed to the planting of the injustice: first, the practical prevention the basis of Jewish settlement in the forest - the mayors and political leaders of Arab Bedouin from settling on their area and shapes the memory of the who supported it - are unaware of the native land, and secondly, the symbolic Holocaust in Israel. The establishment great injustice that is being done by obliteration of Bedouin existence in the of a Jewish – German memorial site the forestation activities of the Jewish area, their eviction from their land, and on this piece of land is an expression National Fund in the Negev. Jewish the replacement of their suffering with of denial of the land’s Bedouin past, citizens of Israel, however, do not memories of Jewish suffering. In this as well as a cynical use of Holocaust have the privilege of living in Europe, manner, an important and humane act commemoration and German feelings feeling guilty, and remaining unaware. of commemoration has been transformed of guilt in an attempt to obliterate the Israeli citizens must not agree to the into a cynical act of forgetfulness, past. As Dr.Awad Abu Freih, a resident confiscation of Arab Bedouin land that repression, and eviction. of Al-Arakib, remarked, “There has been is being conducted under the auspices A Review of News in the Negev In the beginning in Israel, The Negev November of November, the Coexistence Forum national planning and construction committee and Adallah, the Legal decided to establish a new Bedouin town on Center for the Rights 1000 dunams (250 acres) in the regional of the Arab Minority council of Ramat Negev jurisdiction. The in Israel, demanding new town will be named “Ramat Tziporim” the withdrawal of the (“Birds Hights”). plan to establish 7 new In the beginning of November, a group of Jewish villages near European Parliament members, members Arad. The High Court of the European Parliament’s Middle East of Justice determined NCF’s annual photography workshop in the village of A-sir, December 2012 working group, came to visit the Negev and that the appeal was met with NGO’s from the area, in order to premature since there was no actual plan arrested in the clashes that ensued, and 29 better understand the Prawer plan and the for establishing these villages. children were subsequently taken to Soroka ways it is implemented on the ground. During November 7th - a conference was convened in Medical Center in Be’erSheva to be treated the visit, the group met some experts from Arad about the plan to establish 10 villages for tear gas inhalation.This wasn’t the first the Negev, including Haia Noach, NCF’s near Arad. The speakers at the conference, time that the Israeli authorities used extreme executive director, Rawia Aburabia of ACRI, which was organized by a coalition of several violence in Bir-Hadaj. Similar, though less Khalil Alamour of the village of Alsira, Suhad organizations, included Salim Abu-Alkayan severe, instances of violence also occurred on Bishara and Dr. Thabet Abu-Rass of Adalah. from the village of Um al Hiran and Attorney October 11 and September 27, when Israeli After the visit, the working group published a Gil Gan-Mor from the Association for Civil police officers fired tear gas and sponge bullets paper that condemned the house demolition Rights. and injured numerous residents. policy and demanded the withdrawal of the November 12th - hundreds of Israeli policemen November 29th - NCF hosted an experts’ round Prawer plan. stormed into the recognized Bedouin village of table on the issue of house demolition at the In November the High Court of Justice rejected an BirHadaj. The policemen escorted representatives Multaka-Mifgash, our Arab-Jewish cultural appeal made in August 2012 by several residents of the Israeli Ministry of Interior, who attempted center. During the meeting, several experts from the Negev, the Association for Civil Rights to distribute home demolition orders to village from different human rights organizations residents.In Bir-Hadaj, the Israeli shared important information about the house police used tactics usually used for demolition policy of the Israeli authorities, on the occupied Palestinian territories, its legal, political and practical aspects.