Ok, would somebody please, explain this. If these people are Bedouins, they must be Arabs. Where did they come from, and why did they decide to live on Israeli soil? Are they Israeli citizens or are they like our illegal immigrants? If they're not Israeli citizens, why can't they be deported? And what, exactly, do these people do for a living?

It's not really clear where the claim "we are forced to build illegally" is based on in this article. Please, enlighten me.

What else where they planning on THAT particular plot of land? It seems that sometimes this stupid government do things for no reason (dafka). I think the only reason is that they don't get arnona from them and it pisses them off no end. I'm sometimes ashamed to say I'm Israeli

bedouins have been living in the region for thousands of years, long before the israel of today existed. those who had remained after the war are citizens of israel but do not have the same rights as jewish israelis. their homes are illegal because the state will not grant permission for them to build, as opposed to mass development of jewish only . many bedouin have had their land forcibly taken and been forced into poor social conditions, with no support. check out sikkuy.org.il or adalah.org for some further reading.

If there are illegal Jewish settlements, the government razes those to, so if Jews homes are razed for being illegal so should the Arabs homes which are illegal.

Why doesnt the govt pursue the illegal houses on the west bank with the same zeal?

What do they do for a living? Duh? they are bedoins. They are, or were, nomadic. Arguably a lot more sustainable than anything we do, and certainly more sustainable than what the govt does. The question is, what do you, or I, do for a living?

Josh, You said a mouthful.

Bedouins are full citizens of Israel under law, and many of them voluntarily serve in the IDF. They are particularly known for being good trackers. They live in Israel because they happened to be in this area when the State of Israel was established and borders were set. The Bedouins of the south have been going through the difficult process of transitioning from being a nomadic society to settling in permanent settlements. This issue has caused a lot of friction between them and the State, since, as you can surely understand, a sovereign state can't tolerate people wandering from place to place within its borders. However, the houses destroyed were permanent structures of Bedouins who had already made the sacrifice and had decided to give up their nomadic lifestyles. Bedouins in the north of the country on the other hand are generally settled in established towns and villages and that are thriving. These issues are specific to the Bedouins of the south. Also, while I don't know the specifics of the situation at hand, it is often difficult for Bedouins, and Arabs in general, to receive building permits from the State, which sometimes compels them to build illegally. In this case, the building actually served one of the State's declared goals of settling the Bedouins in the south in permanent settlements. However, the State also decided that it wants to settle them in concentrated areas in order to make more room for Jews, even though there is plenty of space in the wide open expanses of the Negev. Hope this clarified things for you.

First off, the Beduins are only considered "Arabs" by others. They don't consider themselves to be Arabs. They used to be nomadic tribes, most of which settled down, mostly in the Negev desert. However, about a half of them squatter in either tents, or permanent structures built without permission. They generally have humongous families, where only the husband/male children earn the living. Most of them don't work, instead living the lives of crime. Many tribes are actually big criminal mafias that do nothing other than steal cars and smuggle drugs and weapons into the country.

according to this report by Sikkuy there are also recognised communities who are just connected to electricity, water, etcetera. See: http://www.sikkuy.org.il/english/2005/michal_blikhof05.pdf On what grounds are these recognised and why doesnt that count for these 17 houses? That 60% of the settlements on the westbank are in jewish settlers hands legally and 40% illegally, is also not because of nothing. Why would it be any different for the Bedouin communities? Perhaps it is just time to follow the local laws and stop complaining? Or would that be too naive?

Thanks for the link in English, and I will read it shortly. However, if these people are citizens, why are they treated differently from other Israelis, and where and how are they supposed to live and raise families, if they're not even allowed to build homes? Do they serve in the Israeli military, too? I don't mean to start anything, but I would be pissed, too, and I certainly wouldn't feel too much loyalty for "my country." What's the logic behind all of this? I am an immigrant to the US, but I have the same rights as any other citizen, and heaven knows, I'm almost more American than the native-born, because I've lived in other countries and maybe apprecitate this one just a little more, because of that. This Arab thing sounds like our situation with black people years ago, except that they could live and build, as long, of course, as it was in the "colored" part of town. Well, that didn't work too well, especially, when that supposedly "separate but equal" education turned out to be more separate than equal. And then, hehehehe, one of our lily-white universities "eased" a black, hot-shot kid onto their football team, and the "conversion" was amazing; even on the part of the worst rednecks. People being people, there, still, is prejudice around, and the "Discrimination" battle cry is, still, heard, but If it turns out to have been true, the laws of the land will side with the injured party. If Israel hopes that its Arabs will go back to some Arab country the same way our black citizens went back to Africa, you'll be sorely disappointed. Wouldn't it be much better to have loyal, Arab citizens than pissed off ones?? If Israel wants to be a strictly Jewish State, there's nothing wrong with that, but that would be a theocracy. If it wants to be a democracy, citizenship by degree doesn't work. Heck, just put everybody into a pot, stir 'em all up and throw 'em out to fall where they may. It makes for great neighborhoods. Once you live next door and get to know some "strange" person, they turn out to be no stranger than you are.

Well, the illegal settlements in the west bank were already mentioned, but what about the THOUSANDS of illegal structures throughout all of Israel? On every moshav, kibbutz, in small and large towns alike.

Thanks for the enlightening comments, but somebody help me out. with 1) that a state can't have people "wandering" all over the place and 2) that denying one citizen the right to live here or there is all right, if it's to make room for some other citizen. Those two items don't compute in my head. As for the "wandering," what's wrong with that? If somebody doesn't like it in Tel Aviv, shouldn't they be allowed to haul off for Eilat or wherever? With respect to #2, and if the Bedouins are trying to transition, wouldn't it be smarter to teach them how to develop some connection to the land and how to work it rather than to run them ragged? Israel knows how to "make a desert bloom." Wouldn't more blooming desert be good for the entire country? Wouldn't it be better to turn 20% of the population into productive and loyal citizens than to have them festering with resentment? I am, honestly, only asking and trying to understand.

Moving from one place to the other is different than wandering ;

FYI 1) Yes, Beduin, as opposed to Arabs generally (amongst themselves they know and enforce the differences), have been here from biblical times when the proto-Beduin lived here, the Nabateans. 2) Yes, some, not most serve in the Israeli army as trackers. 3) That said, their values are difficult to integrate into a western society. Just as you might have seen Indians setting up encampments in Yosemite Park and the rangers tearing them down and telling them to live on reservations set aside for them, similarly here in Israel we have state lands that do not belong to any tribe or person other than the state as a whole. Nobody is entitled to settle there and because the lands are not zoned for development, NOBODY can get building permits to build there. 4) There are several cities in the Negev that are set aside for Beduin, but some prefer not to live there. That does not confer upon them the right to live wherever they want. 5) Frequently, the Beduin set up camps next to major roads connecting central Israel and the Negev with Eilat. After the encampments grow, they begin demanding building permits, water, electricity and upgraded internal roads under the guise "we are citizens and deserve the same rights", but ignoring their obligation not to build on state lands and in places where these utilities can be brought to them economically. Does anybody have any idea how much it costs to take an electrical and water line 15 km out of the intended path to serve 80 families? There are two sides to this story. 6) How do they make a living? I'll give you two ways. First, they frequently have more than one wife and have many children. The way social security payments work here, some larger families get about $5000 per month just in child welfare payments from the state. Also, they steal. This may seem an outrageous claim, but it's completely OK according to their ancient culture. If you are not part of their tribe, your property is available for them to profit on, from other tribes, Arabs and Jews. I am personally aware of construction projects that have to pay protection money not to have their equipment stolen or damaged. They "hire" Beduin guards or else. The police know about it and do nothing, and I'm not sure why. Lastly, many of them received substantial land stakes in the northern Negev where they are farmers. The State surveyed all the places where Beduin had farmed and recorded their land stakes. Those rights are vigorously protected by the state, and by the Beduin. I suspect that the vast majority of cases like the one in this article are from squatters. They erect tents and inside the tents, build permanent buildings. I've seen this with my own eyes. They are excellent scammers.

you are a skan k to ise " for Israel

Now these familes are homeless. how can you DO this? are you racist?? Israel is nasty nasty nasty and the world knows this now.

Don't know if you are still checking talkbacks on this article because it was put up a few days ago, but in case you are... I certainly agree with you that teaching the Bedouins connection to the land, which by the way is a big part of their culture since they live off the land as nomads, is very important. Breeding resentment toward the State is certainly counterproductive to the State's goals. In terms of your confusion about the "wandering"- I did not mean they move from city to city all the time. I meant that Bedouins traditionally lead a nomadic lifestyle and set up tent encampments on various sites and move them with the seasons/agricultural conditions. None of the tent encampments are permanent. However, like I said, a great number of the Bedouins have agreed to forego their nomadic lifestyle and live in permanent villages/cities. As to your second inquiry, these houses were not destroyed for any purpose other than they were not built with the proper building permits, and not, as you suggested, to make room for other citizens. I know it doesn't seem that way from many of the talkbacks on this site, however, the 20% of the population that you refer to is in no way monolithic. The Arab community in Israel is in fact very diverse, and you would be surprised to find out that a great majority of them ARE indeed loyal to the state and, in my opinion, this needs to be fostered, cultivated, embraced, whatever more by the State. As for those who aren't loyal, action should be taken if and only if they are planning to take action on their sentiments. A democracy cannot take action against someone for his thoughts alone.