Resolving Conflicts between the Israeli Government and Bedouin Stakeholders in Kseife and Um Batin
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Case Background
In Israel, conflicts between Bedouin communities and the Israeli government have grown increasingly intense in recent years. At stake in the strategically and symbolically important southern Negev Desert region are fundamental questions of both security and stability for the State of Israel and development, justice, and human rights for the Bedouin minority citizen population.
The Negev Bedouin community, estimated at 150,000 people, accounts for some 25% of population of the Negev. About half of the population resides in seven existing towns that were established by the government. The remainder live in communities spread throughout the Northern part of the desert. These communities are unrecognized by the government and therefore receive almost no public services or infrastructure.
At the heart of the conflict are disputes between government officials and Bedouin citizens over land use and ownership, housing and service delivery, and community development. More broadly, these disputes center on the rights and obligations of citizenship for the more than 200,000 Bedouin Israelis in the Negev and the relationship between the Bedouin minority and the State.
Over the past several decades, both the Government and Bedouin communities have been ineffective in their attempts to resolve these conflicts. Legal recourse through courts by both government and Bedouin parties has proven incapable of addressing several thousands disputed land claims in a systematic fashion. Where judicial victories have been achieved, they have proven ineffective at changing practical realities on the ground. Instead, in an escalating pattern of unilateral actions, Bedouin occupation of the land is met by physical demolition and forced relocation, which in turn is met by rebuilding in even greater numbers. This stalemate has blocked productive uses of the land, obstructed both local and regional development, and prevented socio-economic advancement among the Bedouins. Moreover, it has severely damaged relationships between the Government and its Bedouin citizens, creating an atmosphere of heightened tension and substantial mistrust.
In recent years, resolving these conflicts has taken on increased national importance – with new State emphasis on development of the Negev region, growing concerns over spread of political extremism, and increasing recognition of dangers resulting from failure to address the ever-widening socio-economic gap between Bedouins and the rest of Israel’s population.
CBI Approach
For the past several years, CBI has engaged in an effort to explore, with Government and Bedouin stakeholders, whether mediation might provide a more effective way of resolving disputes over land and development in the Negev. In January 2005, after many years of trust-building with all sides, CBI received a mandate to conduct a comprehensive Conflict Assessment Process – a systematic mapping of the conflict, leading to recommendations for design an effective negotiation process mediated by neutrals.
To conduct the assessment, CBI assembled a multi-cultural team of Jewish and Arab-Israeli mediators and planning professionals, supported by American colleagues. The team conducted over 250 confidential interviews with Bedouin and government stakeholders, leading to a new understanding of the conflict. The Assessment outlines the parties that need to be part of any negotiated resolution, the issues that need to be addressed, the interests of the different parties, and the concerns and obstacles to such a process. It also offers recommendations on how such a conversation ought to be structured in order to achieve sustainable, lasting resolution.
Outcomes
The CBI team formally presented its report to Government and Bedouin stakeholders in January 2007. Based upon initial favorable reactions, CBI is now seeking an extended mandate and preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind mediation in Israel, through which the Israeli government and its Bedouin Arab minority can engage in a new form of participatory, interest-based dialogue to resolve a set of historical, intractable conflicts. It is only through this kind of joint problem solving that both parties will be able to achieve a lasting resolution that meets their core, underlying needs.
For more information on this case, please contact Senior Associate David Kovick.
