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

The Prawer Plan is shelved! But what law will come in its stead?

16.12.2013

Ex-Minister Benny Begin who was charged by the Government with amending the Prawer Plan (the Plan for Regulating Bedouin Settlement in the Negev, 2011) (PBP) slated to become law during this Knesset session. The Law passed its first reading in the Knesset and has been debated in the Standing Committee for Internal Affairs and the Environment.  The Government Coalition assessed it did not have a majority to pass it into law.

Not only that, but contrary to the claims of Major General (Res) Doron Almog who is the official responsible for implementing the plan, if and when it becomes law, Begin stated publicly that not only does he not have the acceptance of the Bedouin community but he has not consulted with them or presented his plan to the community. One may wonder at this statement, considering that the proposed law targets a very specific public and will have far-reaching and often devastating effects  not only on the lives of some 40,000 Bedouin, citizens of Israel, for the Bedouin community as a whole but also for all residents of the Negev, Bedouin and Jewish alike.

On Thursday, 12 December Begin called a special press conference and declared that although he felt the Plan to be fair and far reaching, it did not stand the test of reality and he had recommended to Prime Minister Netanyahu that it be withdrawn. At the press conference he claimed, contrary to his previous assertions, that in preparing the Plan as a law he had conducted hearings with the Bedouin community and over 1,000 Bedouin had participated in those hearings. Begin said that he himself had met with 600 individuals.

The tabling of the law on the one hand it gives more time to organize against it by lobbying and protesting.  We at NCF are hopeful that the lesson will be learnt and that the Government will open a real dialogue with the Negev Bedouin and consider the alternative plans that show that recognition of all the Bedouin villages is a realistic planning possibility.  On the other hand, putting Prawer aside may mean a very much harsher plan in the future that will find support among the Right wing of the Government coalition which can easily round up a majority. NCF will continue to monitor the situation very closely over the coming months.