Israeli Planning Authorities Approve Plan to Expand Jewish City of Dimona in the Naqab in Place of Ras Jrabah, a Bedouin Village Slated for Demolition

On 1 October 2024, Israel’s Southern District Planning Committee (SDPC) dismissed an objection submitted by Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel and Bimkom- Planners for Planning Rights on 14 September 2024 on behalf of 105 residents of the unrecognized village of Ras Jrabah and their families. The objection challenged a master plan aimed at expanding Dimona, a predominantly Jewish-Israeli city established in the early 1950s, which threatens to forcibly displace Ras Jrabah’s residents. The plan’s approval followed a hearing held on 30 September 2024.

BACKGROUND 

EVICTION CASES AGAINST RAS JRABAH’S RESIDENTS

Since May 2019, the residents of Ras Jrabah have been fighting against the state’s eviction attempts, initiated by the Israel Land Authority (ILA), which filed 10 eviction lawsuits against them. The ILA has refused to negotiate any alternative solution, insisting on relocating the residents to a different town designated solely for Bedouins. Adalah is challenging the displacement of the villagers before the Supreme Court: on 18 September 2024, Adalah filed a request to appeal the Be’er Sheva District Court’s ruling from 3 June 2024, which approved the eviction lawsuits initiated by Israeli authorities. The state is required to submit its response to Adalah’s motion by early December.

CLICK HERE to read the motion requesting permission to appeal to the Supreme Court [Hebrew]

PLAN TO EXPAND NEIGHBORING CITY OF DIMONA

The plan, which would nearly double the Dimona’s population and area, outlines the construction of approximately 10,000 new housing units and reserves 780 dunams of land for additional development. Other key features include a new entry route to the city, a train station, a central plaza, and a 600-dunam industrial zone (around 148 acres). Additionally, provisions have been made for a stadium, an arena, and dedicated commercial areas. About 4,870 dunams (approximately 1,203 acres) are earmarked to remain as open space.

CLICK HERE to read more about the objection and the motion requesting permission to appeal to the Supreme Court

CLICK HERE to read the committee’s decision approving the plan [Hebrew (pages 22-29).

The committee failed to consider the detailed and viable alternatives presented by the residents of Ras Jrabah through the objection, which would have allowed them to remain on their ancestral land without hindering the expansion of Dimona. Instead, it relied on the district court’s ruling in the eviction cases and previous precedents, claiming the courts had authorized the forced displacement of Bedouin communities. Notably, the committee cited the devastating Supreme Court decision approving the destruction of Umm al-Hiran to facilitate the establishment of the Jewish-only village of Hiran, to sidestep any consideration of integrating Bedouin residents into the development plan. 

CLICK HERE to read press release about the 2015 Supreme Court’s decision in Umm al-Hiran

In its decision, the committee stated that “the land on which the unrecognized Bedouin village 'Ras Jrabah' is situated is registered as state land. Since the residents have no property rights to the land and it is not classified as unsettled land, their residence there is deemed illegal.” This conclusion comes despite the Be’er Sheva District Court’s ruling, which, while sanctioning Ras Jrabah’s displacement, acknowledged that the residents have lived in the same location since at least 1978 and are not trespassers. 

The committee further held that “the urban character of the city of Dimona is not rural in nature, making it incompatible with the character and lifestyle of the unrecognized village 'Ras Jrabah.'” However, it noted that even if the two were compatible, the ILA would still be unable to allocate land in Dimona to the residents of Ras Jrabah. The committee referenced the district court’s ruling, stating that it clearly establishes that the state can allocate land plots to Bedouins without tenders, but only within Bedouin towns in accordance with the ILA Council resolutions. The committee specified that “the state cannot allocate land to the Bedouin population in Dimona,” and further noted that “even if a neighborhood was planned to meet the needs of the Bedouin population, it would not be possible to allocate plots to the opponents without a tender” and thus rejected the demands of the villagers to include them in the plan and adapt it to their needs.

In Adalah’s view, the planning authorities engage in a practice of segregation in land allocation policies. By confining Bedouin communities to designated towns while restricting their access to land in majority-Jewish urban areas like Dimona, the state perpetuates illegal spatial segregation based on ethnicity.

The committee rejected the contention that excluding Bedouin residents from the planning process violates their constitutional right to dignity and undermines their right to housing. It also dismissed the organizations' argument that designating the area for potential residents who are likely Jewish-Israelis constitutes unlawful discrimination. Citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Umm al-Hiran, the committee failed to provide substantive answers regarding the situation in Ras Jrabah. Echoing the district court, it claimed that there is no discrimination, as there are no barriers preventing residents from applying for land tenders and purchasing units in Dimona. Adalah contends that this approach constitutes a complete misinterpretation of prohibited discrimination under both Israeli and international law.

Following this decision, on 16 October 2024, Adalah and Bimkom submitted a motion to appeal before the National Planning Council, however, on 3 November 2024, the District Planning Committee rejected this motion. Adalah and Bimkom now plan to appeal this decision to the District Court.

CLICK HERE to read the motion to appeal the Committee’s decision (Hebrew)