JERUSALEM: Israel yesterday approved a plan to settle tens of thousands of desert-dwelling Bedouin in permanent townships, triggering criticism from opponents who say it will displace many from their
traditional lands.
The government said it would “as much as possible” grant legal status to villages in the Negev desert that are currently unrecognised by the authorities and where some Bedouin live, if they met unstated minimum population criteria. A statement said that “most” residents of such communities — which now receive no government or municipal services — would be able to continue living there after the villages are granted legal status. “The goal of this historic decision is to put an end to the spread of illegal building by Negev Bedouin and lead to the better integration of the Bedouin into Israeli society,” the statement quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying. AFP
