General Background

The village of ʿAwajān is situated south-west of the Bedouin town of al-Lagiyyih, north of road 40, and is inhabited by about 3,600 residents. The village was established before the founding of the state. Some of the residents hold on to their land since before 1948, others returned to their land in the village in 1974, having been removed to the area near the town of Arad in 1948.  There are ancient wells and dams in the village that are still in use today. The village is named after the valley that goes through it, Wadi ʿAwajān, which in Arabic means ‘curved’ (‘ʿAwaj’).

Services and infrastructure

There is no health clinic in the village. For health services the residents travel to al-Lagiyyih, about 8 km away and half an hour drive given the road conditions. There are no nursery schools or schools, and the children are forced to travel to al-Lagiyyih in organized bussing, starting at 6:30 in the morning.

The residents obtain their water from a main connecting point supplied by the Neve Midbar corporation and situated at the entry to the village. They are forced to construct the infrastructure to allow water to their homes, with some of the homes located about 6 km away from the water point. The village is not connected to the national electricity grid, and the residents use solar panels to produce electricity. There are no paved roads in the village.

Threats

The village of ʿAwajān is an unrecognized village. The Be’er-Sheva Metropolitan Plan indicates that its location would not allow it to be recognized by the state. The village is subject to a state policy of house demolitions, which results in frequent demolitions of homes. Many homes continue to receive demolition orders. There is a plan to construct a military base near the village. The residents have submitted a plan for recognition in the village as part of the extension of the adjacent town al-Lagiyyih, but the Regional Planning Committee have not yet responded to their appeal.