Prawer Plan - Demolition and Eviction of Bedouin Citizens of Israel in the Naqab (Negev)
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Background
NOTE: As of Dec. 12/13, the Prawer Plan has been cancelled. However, those who have been active in fighting this bill are watching for future policies that may impact the Bedouins. The following notes are for background reference. Resource: Adalah: an independent human rights organization and legal center. Established in November 1996, it works to promote and defend the rights of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel. The Prawer-Begin Plan is the latest iteration of Israeli government policy of dispossession and displacement of the indigenous Palestinian Arab Bedouin citizens living in the Naqab (Negev) desert in the south of Israel. It was first approved in September 2011, with minor revisions suggested by Minister Benny Begin approved in January 2013. On 6 May, the Prawer-Begin Bill, which is the implementing legislation of the plan, was adopted by the government and is currently pending before the Knesset. If enacted into law and implemented, the Prawer-Begin Bill would result in the destruction of 35 “unrecognized” Bedouin villages in the Naqab and the forced displacement of up to 70,000 Bedouin citizens of Israel from their land and homes. http://adalah.org/eng/tags/Prawer-Plan/1 |
Breaking NewsDec. /12/13: Jewish Voice for Peace.
The Prawer Plan to forcibly relocate over 40,000 Israeli Bedouin from their ancestral lands is no longer under consideration by the Israeli Knesset. The recent demonstrations on both sides of the Green Line, and throughout the world, succeeded in raising enough doubt about this plan to help take it off the table. Adalah: The government’s decision to cancel the Prawer Plan bill is a major achievement.Today, 12 December 2013, former Israeli cabinet minister Benny Begin announced at a press conference that the proposed Prawer-Begin Bill, the legislative arm of the discriminatory Prawer Plan, will be withdrawn by the government from consideration for the Knesset’s second and third readings.
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What is the Prawer Plan? Adala.org
Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel, inhabitants of the Naqab (Negev) desert since the seventh century, are the most vulnerable community in Israel. For over 60 years, the indigenous Arab Bedouin have faced a state policy of displacement, home demolitions and dispossession of their ancestral land. Today, 70,000 Arab Bedouin citizens live in 35 villages that either predate the establishment of the State in 1948, or were created by Israeli military order in the early 1950s. The State of Israel considers the villages “unrecognized” and the inhabitants “trespassers on State land,” so it denies the citizens access to state infrastructure like water, electricity, sewage, education, health care and roads. The state deliberately withholds basic services from these villages to “encourage” the Arab Bedouin citizens to give up their ancestral land. If Israel applied the same criteria for planning and development that exist in the Jewish rural sector, all 35 unrecognized villages would be recognized where they are.
In September 2011, the Israeli government approved the Prawer Plan, the brainchild of former Deputy Chair of the National Security Council, Mr. Ehud Prawer. The Prawer Plan will result in the destruction of the unrecognized villages and the forced displacement of up to 70,000 Arab Bedouin citizens. This plan was completed without consultation of the local community, and is a gross violation of the constitutional rights of the Arab Bedouin citizens to property, dignity, equality, adequate housing, and freedom to choose their own residence.
Prawer is Happening Now
Despite complete rejection of the plan by the Arab Bedouin, and strong disapproval from the international community, Prawer is happening now. More than 1,000 houses were demolished in 2011 alone, and civil society observed the same practices in 2012. Since Prawer was announced, the government announced plans that will displace over 10,000 people and plant forests, build military centers, and establish new Jewish settlements in their place.
The Prawer Plan is today being turned into an Israeli law. On 6 May 2013, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved the proposed “Law for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev – 2013” (“the Prawer-Begin Bill”, after recommendations by Minister Benny Begin were included). On 24 June 2013, the Knesset approved the Prawer-Begin Bill with 43 votes for and 40 votes against. The bill will now be sent to the Committee for Interior Affairs and Environment to be prepared for the second and third readings.
The international community has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the Prawer Plan. In March 2012, the UN Committee on the Elimination for Racial Discrimination called on Israel to withdraw the proposed implementing legislation of the Prawer Plan, on the grounds that it was discriminatory. In July 2012, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on Israel to Stop the Prawer Plan and its policies of displacement, eviction, and dispossession.
Adalah calls on the Israeli government to:
Find out More:
Introduction
Report: The Arab Bedouin and the Prawer Plan, 2012
Factsheet: Myths and Misconceptions about the Arab Bedouin in the Naqab
Article: Four Reasons to Reject the Prawer Plan, by Dr. Thabet Abu Rass and Professor Oren Yiftachel
Legal letter: Adalah and ACRI Objection to the Prawer Plan
Summary: The Alternative Master Plan for Bedouin Villages in the Negev
Briefing/Position Papers:
Briefing Paper: The Prawer-Begin Bill and the Forced Displacement of the Bedouin, May 2013
Position Paper: From Al-Araqib to Susiya: The Forced Displacement of Palestinians on Both Sides of the Green Line
Briefing Paper: Understanding the Prawer Plan Law, 2012
Briefing Paper: Analysis of the Prawer Plan, October 2011
Videos:
From Al-Araqib to Susiya
Umm al-Hieran Unrecognized Village v. Hiran Settlement
The Prawer Plan
International responses
EMHRN Statement: Time for EU action on Prawer Bill, 2 July 2013
UN CERD Calls on Israel to Withdraw the Prawer Plan Law, 15 March 2012
European Parliament Passes Resolution Calling on Israel to Stop the Prawer Plan
Press Releases
Knesset Approves Forced Displacement of Arab Bedouin, 25 June 2013
Adalah opposes Committee approval of Prawer-Begin Bill, 8 May 2013
NGOs to Knesset: Do Not Support Prawer-Begin Bill, 21 April 2013
Cabinet approves Begin recommendations to Discriminatory Prawer Plan, 28 January 2013
Read More: Prawer Plan
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Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel, inhabitants of the Naqab (Negev) desert since the seventh century, are the most vulnerable community in Israel. For over 60 years, the indigenous Arab Bedouin have faced a state policy of displacement, home demolitions and dispossession of their ancestral land. Today, 70,000 Arab Bedouin citizens live in 35 villages that either predate the establishment of the State in 1948, or were created by Israeli military order in the early 1950s. The State of Israel considers the villages “unrecognized” and the inhabitants “trespassers on State land,” so it denies the citizens access to state infrastructure like water, electricity, sewage, education, health care and roads. The state deliberately withholds basic services from these villages to “encourage” the Arab Bedouin citizens to give up their ancestral land. If Israel applied the same criteria for planning and development that exist in the Jewish rural sector, all 35 unrecognized villages would be recognized where they are.
In September 2011, the Israeli government approved the Prawer Plan, the brainchild of former Deputy Chair of the National Security Council, Mr. Ehud Prawer. The Prawer Plan will result in the destruction of the unrecognized villages and the forced displacement of up to 70,000 Arab Bedouin citizens. This plan was completed without consultation of the local community, and is a gross violation of the constitutional rights of the Arab Bedouin citizens to property, dignity, equality, adequate housing, and freedom to choose their own residence.
Prawer is Happening Now
Despite complete rejection of the plan by the Arab Bedouin, and strong disapproval from the international community, Prawer is happening now. More than 1,000 houses were demolished in 2011 alone, and civil society observed the same practices in 2012. Since Prawer was announced, the government announced plans that will displace over 10,000 people and plant forests, build military centers, and establish new Jewish settlements in their place.
The Prawer Plan is today being turned into an Israeli law. On 6 May 2013, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved the proposed “Law for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev – 2013” (“the Prawer-Begin Bill”, after recommendations by Minister Benny Begin were included). On 24 June 2013, the Knesset approved the Prawer-Begin Bill with 43 votes for and 40 votes against. The bill will now be sent to the Committee for Interior Affairs and Environment to be prepared for the second and third readings.
The international community has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the Prawer Plan. In March 2012, the UN Committee on the Elimination for Racial Discrimination called on Israel to withdraw the proposed implementing legislation of the Prawer Plan, on the grounds that it was discriminatory. In July 2012, the European Parliament passed a historic resolution calling on Israel to Stop the Prawer Plan and its policies of displacement, eviction, and dispossession.
Adalah calls on the Israeli government to:
- Cancel the Prawer Plan
- Recognize the “unrecognized villages” and the land claims of the indigenous Arab Bedouin community
- Halt home demolitions and forced evictions
- Engage in meaningful dialogue with the Arab Bedouin community and the Arab political leadership to justly resolve the land claims
- Invest in greater health, education, and employment opportunities for Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel
Find out More:
Introduction
Report: The Arab Bedouin and the Prawer Plan, 2012
Factsheet: Myths and Misconceptions about the Arab Bedouin in the Naqab
Article: Four Reasons to Reject the Prawer Plan, by Dr. Thabet Abu Rass and Professor Oren Yiftachel
Legal letter: Adalah and ACRI Objection to the Prawer Plan
Summary: The Alternative Master Plan for Bedouin Villages in the Negev
Briefing/Position Papers:
Briefing Paper: The Prawer-Begin Bill and the Forced Displacement of the Bedouin, May 2013
Position Paper: From Al-Araqib to Susiya: The Forced Displacement of Palestinians on Both Sides of the Green Line
Briefing Paper: Understanding the Prawer Plan Law, 2012
Briefing Paper: Analysis of the Prawer Plan, October 2011
Videos:
From Al-Araqib to Susiya
Umm al-Hieran Unrecognized Village v. Hiran Settlement
The Prawer Plan
International responses
EMHRN Statement: Time for EU action on Prawer Bill, 2 July 2013
UN CERD Calls on Israel to Withdraw the Prawer Plan Law, 15 March 2012
European Parliament Passes Resolution Calling on Israel to Stop the Prawer Plan
Press Releases
Knesset Approves Forced Displacement of Arab Bedouin, 25 June 2013
Adalah opposes Committee approval of Prawer-Begin Bill, 8 May 2013
NGOs to Knesset: Do Not Support Prawer-Begin Bill, 21 April 2013
Cabinet approves Begin recommendations to Discriminatory Prawer Plan, 28 January 2013
Read More: Prawer Plan
Share on facebookShare on gmailShare on twitterShare on emailMore Sharing Services300
The Prawer Plan in 3 Minutes
A 3 minute video prepared by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) explains how the Prawer Plan would have affected the Bedouins had it been passed, (ACRI is based in Tel Aviv and is Israel’s largest and oldest civil rights organization.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10_pcJ3u8oU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
A 3 minute video prepared by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) explains how the Prawer Plan would have affected the Bedouins had it been passed, (ACRI is based in Tel Aviv and is Israel’s largest and oldest civil rights organization.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10_pcJ3u8oU&feature=youtube_gdata_player