Resettlement Planning 1948–Present

Abstract

This chapter presents a detailed summary of resettlement policies and planning for the Negev Bedouin from 1948 to present, and the underlying principles and interests which frame them. The Israeli planning paradigm for the Bedouin has historically been based on territorial considerations. Most government planning policies have aimed at concentrating the Bedouin in high-density towns with defined and limited jurisdictions, which reserve inadequate land for public use and economic development. These policies are divided into three main periods. The first, described by the authors as ‘regional concentration,’ occurred in 1949, immediately after the establishment of the State of Israel. For geopolitical military considerations, the Israeli Government relocated the remaining Negev Bedouin to the Syag region, where most remain, although today some of the towns and recognized villages extend beyond this boundary. The second planning period is referred to as ‘local-urban concentration’ and began in 1964 with the building of the first Bedouin new town of Tel Sheva, followed by six others. The third planning period began in the late 1990s and includes two models. The first, a continuation of stage two, consisted of re-planning within the seven Bedouin towns. The second model, beginning in 2000, focused on the planning of localities/villages within regional councils.

Since Israel’s statehood in 1948, the question of Negev Bedouin resettlement has been on the government and public agendas. The contradictory interests and territorial needs of the Israeli Government (as manifested in policies and actions) and those of the Bedouin community have evolved. The transformations over the last six decades have been both internal and external to the Bedouin community and have changed from the government treating the Bedouin as invisible or temporary citizens to visible citizens struggling for equality and equity, and the Bedouin transformation from weak reactive responses to active responses, initiatives, and demands reflecting their needs and interests. A chronological table of government policies and Bedouin responses is followed by a more detailed focus on the policies and responses which continue to shape the current dispute.