Regional outline plan number 23/4/4 is the regional outline plan for the northern Negev area. The outline plan was approved by the sub committee of the National Planning and building Council on 27 July 2010 and by the National Planning Council in July 2012 with its main goal being the doubling of the Negev population by the year 2020. Although the plan defines areas where Bedouin villages can be established and unrecognized villages can be recognized (defined as “combined rural and agricultural area”), according to the plan most of the existing villages will not be recognized because they are located in areas designated for other purposes. It is worth noting that some of the villages are in an area which enables to grant them recognition, however there is no guarantee that they will be recognized by the government.

Within the framework of the planning process tens of objections to the plan were placed by the Bedouin residents of the Negev. Talma Duchan, a researcher appointed by the Ministry of Interior to examine the numerous objections, published her recommendations. Although some of her recommendations were positive, at the end of the process only part of them were adopted and in fact they were hardly implemented in the plan.