Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality
פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי
منتدى التعايش السلمي في النقب من أجل المساواة المدنية

Supreme Court Denied Urgent Petition for Immediate Protection for Bedouin Villages

26.07.2014

Last Wednesday (16.7), The Association for Civil Rights in Israel issued an urgent petition to the Supreme Court, demanding an immediate protection for the Bedouin recognized and unrecognized villages in the Negev. The petition was issued in the name of a couple of Bedouin residents of the Negev, and a couple of organizations, including NCF.

On Sunday, the court read its decision and stated that: “Under the circumstances it is inevitable to  reject petition in this matter, since there was no excuse for our intervention in the operational decisions of the respondents [the state] that were received in the midst of fighting”.  Alongside the rejection of the petition, the judges added that “in the absence of data we decided not to refer to the ways of use of the Iron Dome. We believe that the protection of this system  is based on practical considerations, without giving any weight to the appearance or non-appearance of settlements on maps”. The Supreme Court denied  the petition for immediate protection for the villages, furter discussion on these issues will take place in the future.

On Monday (14.7) ) two sisters, aged 10 and 13, were severely  injured when a rocket hit the Bedouin unrecignized village of Al-Makimen, one of them is still in the hospital. On Saturday (19.7) a roocket hit the Bedouin unrecognized village of Jarba, killed Oda Al-Waj, and injured four of his relatives, including a baby.

NCF sends its condolences to the families of those killed during the operartion, and wishes quick and full recovery for the injured. Although the Supreme Court decision, we urge the Israeli security authorities to act immediately to protect the villages and to activate alarm systems in those areas, and for the protection of entire neighborhoods in Jewish cities and Bedouin towns that are not protected properly.