The unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev are villages that the state of Israel does not recognize and refers to them as a “diaspora” and sometimes as “illegal villages”. Amongst these villages are some villages which are historic villages since they exist in their location prior to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Other  villages are in their present location as a result of villages which were destroyed in the 1950s and their residents have been ordered by the authorities to move from their original place to the new one (internally displaced).

During the 1950s the state started to concentrate the Arab Bedouins into the Sayag area, between Beer Sheva, Arad and Dimona. A military rule was imposed on the Bedouin. Much of the lands in the Negev were declared state lands and in 1965 following the Planning and Construction Law, much of the land was declared as agricultural land and therefore all houses and buildings on these lands in general and in the unrecognized villages in particular became automatically “illegal buildings”.

In fact, the state does not recognize the historical villages nor does it recognize the villages to where Bedouin residents were moved in the 1950s by the authorities. The residents of the unrecognized villages get very little governmental services and in most cases no services at all. In all the unrecognized villages there is no infrastructure. For example, primary school exists only in 16 villages and health clinics only in 10.