General Background

As-Sayyid is a historic Bedouin village whose existence predates the establishment of the State of Israel. The village is located south of the town of Ḥūrah, and is home to around 4,000 residents. In 2000, the Israeli government decided to recognize the village, first as part of Ḥūrah and later as an independent village, and today it is part of the al-Qasum regional council. The village’s name stems from the name of the tribe which inhabits it.

Services and Infrastructure

Within the recognized village of as-Sayyid there are three elementary schools and a new high school, yet the majority of high schools students are bused in daily to the neighboring town of Ḥūrah. There are two clinics and a mother-and-child health station which supply medical services to its inhabitants.

Despite the state’s recognition of as-Sayyid in 2000, the village’s houses are not connected to the national electricity grid, and its residents must make do with solar panels. Nor are the houses connected to the water system, so the villagers run water through pipes to their homes, from a connection point on the main water pipe. The houses in the village are not connected to the waste removal system, and with one exception, none of its roads are paved. As-Sayyid is served by garbage removal services.

Planning Situation

As-Sayyid has a “blue line” which defines the village’s boundaries. However, lacking a detailed master plan, its residents are not able to request building permits. Up until March 2013, the 4,000 residents of as-Sayyid had received just ten building permits. The houses in the village that lie outside of the blue line have been subject to the house demolition policy. During the recognition process, some of the village was left outside of the recognized village.