General Background

Tal al-Malaḥ is an unrecognized village located north-west of the military air base Nevatim with a population of 1500 people.Tal al-Malaḥ served in the past as a central village to the whole area as the wells in the village supplied water for its neighbors. The village name is derives from the water wells in the village and is also related to the nearby archeological site Tel Malaḥata. The village precedes the establishment of the state of Israel but large parts of its lands are nowadays within the boundaries of the military air base Nevatim as they were expropriated as part of the Peace Law after the peace agreement with Egypt. During the British mandate a police station, school and flour mill were built in the village which served the residents of the entire area. Nowadays, the old water wells, the old school and the police station are all within the boundaries of the military air base.

Infrastructure and services

There is no school and no health clinic in Tal al-Malaḥ. For these services the residents have to drive about 20 minutes to Ksīfih, a distance of 15 km, partly on an unpaved road. Following a plea to the high court, the village was granted an approval to build a health clinic in transportable structures but it was not established yet. There is a kindergarten in the village which was built by non profit associations.

Water is supplied through a 6 km pipe which the residents have laid themselves and is connected to the Mekorot main water line, therefore the water pressure is very low. Some residents bring water by water tanks, an operation which is very costly with poor quality water. The village is not connected to the national electricity grid and the residents use generators and solar panels instead.

Threats

Tal al-Malaḥ is an unrecognized village. According to the Be’er Sheva metropolitan plan Tal al-Malaḥ is located in an area designated as “combined rural and agricultural area” which enables to grant the village recognition. However, so far there is no government decision on the matter. There were no house demolitions lately and only few demolition orders were handed. The residents of  Tal al-Malaḥ wish to get recognition to their village as an agricultural village in their present location.