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Gallery|Human Rights

The plight of the West Bank Bedouin

Around 7,000 Bedouin residing in central West Bank are at risk of being forcibly relocated by Israeli authorities.

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In the small community of Sateh al-Bahr, 72 people from the Hammadeen family reside between the green desert hills near Jericho. Years ago, the EU funded the construction of eight trailer homes in the community, all of which are now under the threat of demolition by Israeli authorities. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
By Fredrik Brogeland Laache
Published On 29 May 2015

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 7,000 Bedouin residing in the central West Bank are at risk of being forcibly relocated by Israeli authorities. The plan, which aims to transfer thousands of Bedouin to three designated villages, has been met with condemnation by international human rights organisations, who say it could have grave consequences for the preservation of the Bedouin lifestyle.

While many Bedouin families are protesting the demolition orders issued against their tents and houses, Israel’s Civil Administration has underlined its obligation to “enforce lawless construction made without permits”, stressing that “no one is resistant from enforcement”.

The removal of Bedouin from their land is not new: Besides being forced to flee from the Negev desert between 1948 and 1951, 150 Bedouin families were violently transferred from their homes in the late 1990s to make way for the expansion of Maaleh Adumim, one of the largest Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Some have nicknamed the Bedouin “the protectors of the two-state solution”, as some 2,300 Jahalin Bedouins live in the E1 area, where Israel intends to build settlements and infrastructure to close the gap between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim. Many fear this would kill the prospect of a Palestinian state.

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The Bedouin in Sateh al-Bahr have tried to preserve a traditional pastoral society. Every morning, Anes takes his younger brother Yunes to the hillsides surrounding Jericho, where they graze more than two dozen sheep and goats. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Community patriarch and father of 18 Khalil Hammadeen prays as the sun sets over the rugged mountain landscape. He compares Israel's transfer of the Bedouin with the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee from their native lands in Israel. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Khalil's mother was one of many Bedouins who had to escape to the West Bank after Israeli soldiers expelled them from the Negev desert in 1951. She is 110 years old, completely blind and has her own shack, where she sleeps on a carpeted floor. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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The younger Bedouin are growing up not knowing if they will be able to carry forward their cultural heritage. Consequently, many are studying at universities to ensure an alternative source of income. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Last year, residents in Sateh al-Bahr lost four tents to the Israeli authorities. Daily life is filled with uncertainty, with the situation especially dire for shepherds who depend on access to large pastures. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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In February, the Bedouins of Sateh al-Bahr built a kindergarten. Although constructed as a permanent building - which is against the law, according to Israeli authorities - the one-room kindergarten still stands untouched. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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About 20km east of Sateh al-Bahr, the pressure against the Bedouins is more evident. Mahmoud lives next to the construction site in al-Jabal, where the Israelis plan to transfer some of the 7,000 Bedouins. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Last month, Israeli authorities arrived in the Bedouin community of Abu Nwar to inform the families living there that some residents would have to relocate to the village of al-Jabal, where Israel has been preparing for a large influx of displaced Bedouins. Overshadowing Abu Nwar is the gigantic settlement of Maaleh Adumim, housing approximately 45,000 Israeli settlers. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Jahalin Bedouin spokesperson Eid Abu Khamis looks through a box of demolition and eviction orders. Residents of his community of Khan al-Ahmar have been subject to constant threats of forced relocation. In April, Israeli soldiers dismantled and confiscated 12 solar panels that provided the community with electricity. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Whether situated deep in the valleys, next to the busy highway or high up on the green hilltops, the Bedouin camps stand in stark contrast to the surrounding Israeli settlements. In Jabal al-Baba, the Bedouins are fighting a fierce battle against eviction, with 15 shacks demolished last year. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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Atallah Mazara is one of the leading spokespersons in the West Bank Bedouin community. In 2004, during the second Intifada, he was shot through his back when he tried to throw rocks at Israeli soldiers. 'I am prepared to die for this land,' he told Al Jazeera. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]
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In the beginning of February, the Jerusalem Gate protest village was installed on the al-Jabal construction site to take a stand against the forced relocation of the Bedouins. Even though Israeli soldiers tore the camp down in February and March – ultimately banishing protesters – demonstrators kept showing up to express their disapproval. [Fredrik Brogeland Laache/Al Jazeera]