Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality
פורום דו-קיום בנגב לשוויון אזרחי
منتدى التعايش السلمي في النقب من أجل المساواة المدنية

Archive: NCF in the Media 2013

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Tensions run high during Knesset debate over Beduin resettlement, The Jerusalem Post, 14 November 2013

Haia Noach, CEO of the Negev Coexistence Forum, an NGO that supports the Beduin, told the Post she believed the government was trying to push the bill through as quickly as possible, wanting to show that a “democratic process” was involved. “But this isn’t democracy,” she said, calling it instead a “tyranny of the majority.” Noach said she believed the Beduin would remain steadfast, as “they did for many generations, since the government isn’t offering a fair and just solution.”

Cabinet OKs demolishing Bedouin village, replacing with Jewish town, Haaretz, 1o November 2013

The group organizing the demonstration at the Supreme Court, the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality, called the proposed demolition plan for Umm al-Hiran a policy that promotes social inequality between Jews and Arabs instead of seeking to bridge social disparities.

A Pitched Battle for the Only Empty Place Left, The Tower, September 2013

“The Negev Coexistence Forum (Dukium) asserts these sites cause “grave environmental pollution and present major health hazards such as high rates of cancer, a high infant mortality rate, respiratory problems for children, and skin diseases.” Under the Prawer Plan, Wadi al-Na’am would be evacuated, the residents moved to a new suburb of Segev Shalom”.

BEDUINI SOTTO SFRATTO, The Post Internazionale, 1 August 2013

This Italian article focuses on the Prawer-Begin bill.  It addresses the potential ramifications of the bill and examines the bill in the broader political context of settlement and residence policy in Israel.  Anna Rose Siegel, NCF’s International Advocacy Coordinator, is quoted, describing the continuous demolitions already underway in the Negev.  The article will soon be published in English.

The Beginning of the End for Israel’s Negev Bedouin Culture?, France 24, 17 July 2013

The writer of this article touches on Bedouin histroy, culture, and substistance.  He then explains the government’s plan for relocating Bedouin.  He goes on to express the potentially destructive affects that this relocation will have on Bedouin culture.  The article includes photographs taken and distributed by NCF.

Police Arrest 28 in Protests Against Prawer-Begin Plan, The Jerusalem Post, 15 July 2013

The article emphasizes demonstrations, which took place on Monday, July 15th in opposition to the Prawer-Begin Bill. It describes the violent arrests that occurred at these demonstrations.  The writer of the article incorporates the perspectives of both those who oppose and those who support the forced relocation of Bedouin in the Negev.  Haia Noach, NCF’s Executive Director, is quoted in the article, stating, “It is not reasonable to go on with the plan, because it will create a clash between the government and the people.”

Prawer/Begin-Plan: Zwangsumsiedlung von BeduinInnen, P. S. Zeitung, July 2013

This article reflects on the Prawer-Begin Bill, following the Knesset’s first vote.  It offers an overview of the bill and explains the role of the international community in advocacy campaigns to oppose Prawer-Begin.  The article also touches on the demolitions in Al Arakib and the role of the JNF in these demolitions.

Negev Bedouins Mobilise Against Displacement, Alternative News, 17 June 2013

This article covers the demonstrations that took place on June 13th in protest of the Prawer-Begin bill. Around 4,000 people attended the demonstration, which took place in Beer Sheva.  The article references the Negev Coexistance Forum’s role in this demonstration.

Systematic Displacement: Attir and Israel’s “Bedouin Problem,” Palestine Monitor, 29 May 2013

The demolitions in Atir (following the Ministerial Committee of Legislation’s approval of the Prawer-Begin bill) are the focus of this article. The article explains that these demolitions are just a few of the thousands of demolitions that have taken place since 2008. NCF employee Amir Abo Kweder is quoted, describing the devastating consequences of the Prawer-Begin bill.

Desert Divisions, Jerusalem Post, 16 May 2013

This article provides an overview of the Prawer-Begin bill. It was written following a tour led by Regavim, a group of Jewish activists who promote the Judaization of the Negev, for the Jerusalem Post staff; this piece reflects the ideology of Regevim. The article quotes Haia Noach regarding counter claims.

State Destroys Illegal Beduin Outpost for 50th Time, Jerusalem Post, 12 May 2013

The 50th demolition of Al Arakib is covered by this article. It describes the legal case surrounding Al Arakib. Haia Noach is quoted, explaining the Bedouin claim to the land in Al Arakib.

Draft Law Passed to Regulate Beduin Settlement, Jerusalem Post, 5 May 2013

The article addresses the Ministerial Committee of Legislation’s approval of the Prawer-Begin plan. It explains that amendments were made to the bill. These amendments included a reduced timeline from five to three years, a mandate to develop a map that will delineate Jewish from Bedouin lands, provisions for the Ministerial Committee to have oversight over the implementation of the bill, and a plan to develop a new Jewish settlement. The article leaves out an additional amendments–that the police force employed to implement the Prawer-Begin initiative will be expanded.

SPD-Wald besetzt Beduinenland, Taz.die Tageszeitung, 15 April 2013

The SPD campaign to raise money for the JNF in honor of Israel’s 65th birthday is described (in German).  The journalist explains that donations to this campaign have been much lower than anticipated.  She attributes the lack of donations to the controversial nature of the campaign.  The article quotes a NCF position paper.

Kritik an »Wald der SPD«: Israelische Menschenrechts organisation warnt vor Pflanzungsprojekt in Negev-Wüste, Junge Welt, 13 April 2013

This article (in German) describes the opposition of Human Rights activists, particularly the Negev Coexistence Forum, to the SPD support for a JNF forest on contested land.   The article quotes NCF staff and references the NCF’s letters to the SPD.

Palästinensische Israelis verurteilen SPD-Wald in der Negev-Wüste, LORA 92.4 Radio, 9 April 2013

This radio broadcast contains and interview with journalist Henning Hintze about the SPD campaign to raise funds for a forest on contested land.  NCF is referenced.

Israeli government seeks to settle Bedouin issue once and for all, Ha’aretz, 4 April 2013

“The Negev Coexistence Forum, which includes Bedouin activists, says the willingness to recognize villages is limited by the regional master plan, which designates land currently occupied by communities for other purposes. “The threat of evacuation of tens of thousands of Bedouin citizens remains,” the forum said. “We call on the state to commit to a full recognition of every village.” As for settling ownership claims, the forum argues that the state is offering only partial compensation, unlike cases in which Jewish settlers have been evacuated. Moreover, sometimes the compensation will be in money, not land. The forum also attacks the bill’s stipulation that ownership claims must be settled within five years.“This condition reveals the true nature of the arrangement, which is not a generous compromise but an acute threat and evidence of the state’s attempts to force oppressive policies of concentrated settlement in the area,” the forum said.

Bedouin Sector Weakest in Israel Due to Systemic Neglect, Haaretz English Edition, 24 March 2013

Public services in Bedouin communities are severely lacking, compared to services in Jewish communities, according to a report by the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality.

The report states, “These statistics, which show economic weakness, high unemployment and lack of access to government services, prove that the Bedouin’s tough situation results from governmental neglect that has been going on for years…”

Israeli Push to Fulfill Desert Dream Unsettles Negev Bedouin, BBC Newsnight, 17  January 2013

This article describes the campaign to Judaize the Negev.  It focuses on the roles played by the Ayalim student movement and the Israeli government in this campaign.  NCF Field Officer Ofer Dagan is quoted, stating the following:

The argument that we have to Judaise the Negev in order to ensure the existence of the Jewish democratic state is just simply not true. Because it may serve the purpose of making it a Jewish state. But it for sure won’t be a democratic state.

Struggle for control of Israel’s Negev, BBC News, 16 January 2013

This BBC film provides a comprehensive overview of the political, social and legal dynamics at play in the Negev. It focuses on the challenges facing the Bedouin population, particularly demolitions of Bedouin villages. NCF is featured in this film. Ofer Dagan, NCF’s Field Organiser, discusses the destructive consequesnces of the campaign to Judaize the Negev.

Gebt dem Rassismus des Jüdischen Nationalfonds keine Chance!” Protest gegen SPD-“Wald deutscher Länder,” NRhZ-Online – Neue Rheinische Zeitung, 2 January 2013

This article contains a letter written by NCF to the German SPD party to address the party’s role in supporting the development of a forest that is on contested land.  This forest is the result of the JNF’s conformity to a discriminatory practice of developing forests on contested land in an attempt to Judaize the Negev/Naqab—a practice that is criticized in Israel and abroad.