The Government's Approval of the 'Prawer Plan' will Displace and Dispossess Tens of Thousands of Arab Bedouin Citizens of Israel in the Naqab (Negev) from their Land

(Beer el-Sabe, Israel) Yesterday, 11 September 2011, Adalah strongly criticized the government's decision to approve the Prawer Committee Report on Arab Bedouin land settlement in the Naqab (Negev). Adalah asserted that the plan, which proposes to uproot tens of thousands of Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel from their homes and to demolish many Arab Bedouin villages, violates their fundamental rights. The director of Adalah's Naqab Project, Dr. Thabet Abu Ras, participated in a demonstration yesterday against the Prime Minister's approval of the Prawer Report and stated after the vote: "The Israeli government today declared war against the Arab Bedouin in the Naqab. Approval of the report demonstrates that this government views the Arab Bedouin as a security threat rather than citizens with equal rights. This unfortunate decision harms the relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel and only deepens the land dispute in the Naqab. This report was written without the input of any one Arab Bedouin representative, and without consulting the residents whose lives are destroyed by its conclusions. The Prime Minister made his position clear on the issue by appointing Ya'akov Amidror to amend the final draft of the report. He is not a man who sees the Arab Bedouin as human beings with rights, but rather as a minority to be controlled." For more information see:

Adalah's Press Release, "Adalah Urges Government of Israel to Reject Prawer Report as it Violates the Rights of the Arab Bedouin and will Displace Thousands from their Homes," 6 September 2011

Adalah's Letter to Prime Minister Benyahim Netanyahu, 4 September 2011 Op-Ed by Dr. Thabet Abu Ras, published in Yediot Aharonot, 12 September 2011 (Translated to English)