What Is "Blueprint Negev"?     Save the Negev     Protect the Bedouin

The model for development the Israeli government is pursuing is fearsome indeed. On June 26 2007, A-tir and Um al-Hiran were the first Bedouin villages to be destroyed since the government's push to develop the Negev began (see Ha'aretz article). Yatir and Hiran, the Jewish communities that will replace them, are being developed by Israel's Ministry of Housing as part of a massive effort to settle a quarter million Jews in the Negev. June was not the first time the government has demolished Bedouin homes or defoliated their crops. The government's policy is to "concentrate" the Bedouin in urban townships. More villages will be destroyed in order to "plant" Jews-only middle class suburbs with sprinklers and lawns. Meanwhile, the Bedouin villages where traditional culture is practiced will still have no water hook-ups, no electricity, no infrastructure. Bedouin culture is the only culture in Israel that knows about using and living in the Negev desert sustainably. Israel should be learning from the Bedouin rather than trying to uproot them.

JNF-US has the chance to create a different model for the way the Negev should be developed, with respect for the rights and culture of all of Israel's citizens, and with utmost attention to and respect for the land. JNF-US raises hundreds of millions of dollars, more than the other JNF's combined. So far, JNF-US is not developing Yatir or Hiran, and has chosen not to support any settlements involving demolitions. (Note however that Givot Bar, a settlement established on the el-Ukbi tribe's land, is being partly funded by the JNF. ) Yet "Tnu'at Or", one of JNF's partners, has no environmental credentials. The population growth and new settlements that Israel and the JNF-US want to bring to the Negev could burden the desert ecosystem, already burdened by toxic waste, nuclear waste, and heavy industry (read more). They will be dependent on non-local resources and unsustainable.

We are asking for JNF-US to add millions of dollars to its budget to help all the Bedouin, to make sure that all planned and future JNF-US projects to undergo strict environmental review, and to review the cultural and human impacts on the Bedouin. JNF-US says that "Blueprint Negev" will improve the lives of the Bedouin, but we are asking them to dedicate more than 2% - 10% to this purpose. We are also asking them to benefit not just the Bedouin in the government-run urban townships, where a traditional way of life is not possible, but also the Bedouin villages.

The only path toward improving the lives of the Bedouin is one which recognizes their villages and helps them continue to evolve their culture of living in the desert. JNF-US's Blueprint Negev is part of a broader Israeli policy that could replay the disastrous systems that were used to take away Indian land and rights in North America. But it's happening now, in our day. (Read Ben Gurion U's report here.) JNF-US could take a strong stand for sustainable development and help all of Israel choose a path of justice and sustainablity. We hope JNF's policy will help convince Israel that it must also change its policy. What would you be willing to do to help that happen?

You can read JNF's description of Blueprint Negev here. READ an outline of our proposals to revise Blueprint Negev here.

Here's our short list of modifications to make Blueprint Negev greener:

1. Make T'nuat Or get rid of any anti-Bedouin messages in their literature and promotional media, or stop funding them.
2. Make a strong commitment to fund the Bedouin sector with 15-30% of funds going to Bedouin-related projects. (The current commitment is for $10 million, or 1.6%, of the total projected funds.)
3. Distance JNF from the demolition of Bedouin homes: Don't mention, applaud or fund projects that are associated with the destruction of Bedouin homes. Issue a statement that JNF will not be involved in such projects.
4. Examine the "Go Neutral" campaign to get rid of any exaggerated claims or hype.
5. Subject all projects to independent oversight with respect to both their environmental and social impacts.

Links about A-tir and the situation of the Bedouin