Three Arab Bedouin schools in the Naqab to be connected to electricity grid following Adalah’s petition to the Supreme Court

Adalah demands that Supreme Court order the state to connect remaining four schools cited in the petition

In the past several weeks, the state electricity company has begun preparations to connect three Arab Bedouin schools in the Naqab (Negev) to the electricity grid, following a petition filed by Adalah to the Israeli Supreme Court in July 2013.  In its response to the petition, the Ministry of Education agreed to finalize connections to the electricity grid for two schools located in the village of Umm Batin by the end of March 2014, and another school in the village of Kuhla by the end of May 2014. The state has not yet made any commitments regarding the connection of four additional schools that were included in the petition: three in the village of Al-Sayed and one more school in Umm Batin.

Adalah filed its petition to the Supreme Court in July 2013 on behalf of the parents of children from all seven schools in the Naqab, demanding that the schools be connected to the national electricity grid. Currently, the schools get their electricity from private generators that supply the schools with only part of their electricity needs and operate for only a few hours a day. The amount of electricity is limited and constant interruptions in the supply due to mechanical problems in the generators prevent air conditioners, computers, internet services, laboratories and other essential apparatuses from working properly.

On 3 March 2014, Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher submitted a response to the state’s supplementary response on behalf of the petitioners. Attorney Zaher wrote, "There is an estimated timetable for the completion of the work for only three of the seven schools that were cited in this petition, and it is contingent on the slow progress of the connection process. However, in regards to the other four schools, there is no clear estimate regarding the beginning or renewal of the work, and more importantly there is no clear estimate to its completion." Attorney Zaher asked the court to "convene a hearing and to order the state respondents to immediately connect the schools to the electricity grid."

Case Citation: HCJ 5247/13 Ibrahim Abu Kaff v. Ministry of Education

See press release, “Adalah petitions Supreme Court to connect seven Bedouin schools in the Naqab to electricity grid”, 14 July 2013