Israel to forcibly evict 40,000 Bedouins from ancestral land

An existing settlemet, beside the Abu Dis garbage dump.
PHOTO: Haytham Othman/Maanlmages

The Israel government is preparing to evict as many as 40,000 Indigenous Bedouins from their ancestral lands in the Negev desert.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/05/bedouin-negev-israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negev

Israel's adoption of the controversial "Prawer Plan" earlier this month has set the stage for the seizure of more than two-thirds of the Bedouin's total land base in Beer Sheva, an area that the Bedouin have inhabited for more than a thousand years.

http://www.judaismwithoutborders.org/2011/09/13/what-is-the-prawer-plan-for-bedouin/
http://electronicintifada.net/tags/bir-al-saba

Calling the "Prawer Plan" controversial is, perhaps, an understatement, since it includes not only the destruction of 37 Bedouin villages; but also the forced relocation of indigenous peoples to an area beside a garbage dump.

"According to Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, the first phase is planned to begin as early as January 2012, and would forcibly evict approximately 2,300 persons — who are currently living in about twenty communities near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim — and transfer them to a new location near the Abu Dis garbage dump, just east of Jerusalem," reports IPS News.

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105605

The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently stated that carrying out such a relocation without Bedouin consent is a violation of international law. "As an occupying power, Israel has an obligation to protect the Palestinian civilian population and to administer the territory for the benefit of that population. Any voluntary move or transfer of civilians must meet international standards, including relating to a free and informed choice."

http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/F_R_335.pdf

OCHA also said that the proposed relocation site will put at risk the Bedouin peoples' health and way of life. "The proposed site does not meet minimum standards in terms of distance from the municipal dumping grounds, which is likely to pose a health hazard to the communities, and provides limited access to grazing lands. Previously relocated families report negative consequences, including health concerns, loss of livelihood, deteriorated living conditions, loss of tribal cohesion and erosion of traditional lifestyles."

It goes without saying, Israel needs to abandon this malicious plan to quite literally throw the Bedouin into the garbage. Of course, it never should have adopted it in the first place; but then, when have we ever been able to rely on a colonial government for acting in the best interests of Indigenous Peoples? They never do it on their own.

http://intercontinentalcry.org/israel-to-forcibly-evict-40000-bedouins-from-ancestral-land/