Unrecognized villages in the Negev expose Israel's apartheid policies

[Violet_Crumble]

by Bangani Ngeleza
and Adri Nieuwhof
December 31, 2005



The majority of the villages existed at the time of the creation of Israel in 1948 and some were established in the early 1960's when Israel evacuated Bedouins from northern Negev to the south of Beersheba. Comparisons between the experiences of Palestinian Bedouins in the unrecognized villages and black South Africans in the informal settlements in apartheid South Africa is striking. Apartheid policies in South Africa were adopted to ensure the privileged position of white South Africans. Israeli government policies are targeted to secure the privileged position of Jewish Israelis. A government that divides its people and deprives part of its citizens of basic human rights does not show a serious commitment to peace.

Unrecognized villages in the Negev

The 80,000 Palestinian Bedouins living in unrecognized villages in the south of Israel are citizens of Israel. They have the right to vote in national elections and when they have a job or operate a business it is their duty to pay taxes. The majority have lived for generations in villages on their land in the Negev. Following the adoption of the Planning and Construction Law of 1965, the villages did not appear on any Israeli map. They were not recognized by any official government and ignored by all government planning projects.

As there is no municipal authority that governs the villages, the Bedouin Palestinians cannot vote or be elected for municipal representation. Villagers are deprived of basic infrastructure and services like roads, sewage, running water, electricity, clinics, kindergartens and welfare services. The families in the villages mostly live in shacks under zinc roofs where the temperature can reach as high as 55 degrees Celsius. There is no authority that can decide upon permits for the construction of properties. The building of houses in the villages is therefore unlicensed and they are at all times under threat of demolition. A former captain of the Negev police remarked that "there is an imbalance since there is only a destroying authority and no authority issuing construction permits."<1>

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=9434

[madeline_con]

1. It's unconscienable that our tax money props up Israel! n/t

[aquart]

2. Yeah, the only democracy in the Middle East. Criminal.

Let me know when Syria, and Iran, and Egypt welcome the Jews to be equal citizens in their nations.

Do I EVER hear you howl about Darfur? No, those are Arabs massacreing Muslim blacks. Pure racism. Yet there isn't a separate message board for that. Funny. Not much interest?

But you let me know how those fine democratic nations of Libya, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia are doing these days. Or don't you pay any attention because they're Muslim theocracies, not Jewish?

The fun folks always crawl out after midnight.

[julianer]

3. Democracies act like this? n/t

[madeline_con]

5. They do it, so that makes it o.k?

I used to get the tired old "anti-Semitic!" stuff thrown at me if I voiced opposition to the apartheid called the Israeli govt.

Lately, it seems two new mantras have come to the fore.

Darfur's genocide, and all the other countries in the world who treat their people unfairly.

I'd think the once European and Russian Jews who "settled" Palestine (read wrested the area from its rightful owners) would want no part in the horrors of a systematic holocaust visited on another group in their name.

Yet, the Israeli government continues its policy of racism and genocide under the guise of either protecting its citizens from terrorism or the ancient "chosen people" crap. Either way, their umbrella will cover anyone's opoosition to their heavy-handed tactics. No one could possibly argue with a mission so noble as that!

>>"The fun folks always crawl out after midnight."<<

Some of us can discuss the issue without resorting to personal attacks.

>>"Yet there isn't a separate message board for that. Funny. Not much interest?"<<

If you're interested in establishing a message board for the discussion of an issue dear to your heart, never let it be said that I stood in your way. I certainly hope you'll invite me to participate.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. Some historical background

You posted

I'd think the once European and Russian Jews who "settled" Palestine (read wrested the area from its rightful owners) would want no part in the horrors of a systematic holocaust visited on another group in their name.
Emphasis added by Coastie

You may want to click on this Wikipedia Link and check out this book at your local library .

The "Golden Age of Tolerance" was not ended by the Zionists or their Aliyah but by the "Big Power Politics" (oil politics? geo politics? protect Suez? protect sea route to East African colonies and South Asian colonies?, land lock Russia?) in brutally carving up the former Ottoman Empire.

So, who wrested the area from its rightful owners ? The European and Russian Jews? Try the British and French diplomats and the British, American, and Dutch oil companies, and the colonizers of East Africa and North Africa, and South Asia and Indonesia.

The world did not begin with Theodor Herzl or Israel, and neither did the history of the area.

[madeline_con]

7. The European and Russian Jews

That would be the ones who stole land from the people who were already living in Palestine at the end of WWII.

Blaming the Brits et al for the present actions of the Israeli gov doesn't excuse their actions in the least. They had a choice as to how to go about establishing a state.

>>"The world did not begin with Theodor Herzl or Israel, and neither did the history of the area."<<

No, but Zionism did begin with Theodor Herzl and continues with the present Israeli administration.

It's no more excusable than allowing the Evangelicals to take over the U.S. and outlaw everything and everyone who does not fit their plan for a "Christian" theocracy.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. I can understand any product of America's educational system

not being familiar with anything about post WW 1 diplomacy except "The GOP caused Wilson's stroke by voting down the League of Nations."

Seriously, it might pay to read the links I gave you, even just the wiki link.

[madeline_con]

9. "... any product of America's educational system ..."

Not knowing anything about me, you certainly are being presumptuous. When did I mention my alma mater?

Personal attacks seem to be the order of the day when a poster disagrees with pro-Israeli government POVs. It speaks volumes about the argument itslef.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. Not being ignored by the Isreali academics and Israeli Left

See, e.g.,Bar, Haviva and David Bargal, “Living with Conflict: Encounters between Jewish and Palestinian Israeli Youth,” Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, 1995 (Hebrew), and
Bargal, D. (1990), Contact is not enough—The contribution of Lewinian theory to inter-group workshops involving Palestinian and Jewish youth in Israel. International Journal of Group Tensions, 20, 179-192. You might also want to check out "The Dialogue between the “Self” and the “Other”: A Process Analysis of Palestinian-Jewish Encounters in Israel" by Ifat Maoz, Shoshana Steinberg, and Dan Bar-On.

The Left recognizes a serious problem and is anxious to move on this.
.