When entering Abu-Tall, an “unrecognized” Bedouin village located in Israel’s Negev desert, we were all surprised by what we saw. In sharp contrast to the beautiful draped tents with smiling Bedouins serving us tea that many of us experienced during our 8th grade Israel trips, we were met by hundreds of aluminum sided houses, many of which were in terrible disrepair. We learned that of all ethnicities recognized as Israeli citizens, Bedouins are in the lowest socio-economic class.
Our bus was flagged down by Ali, a resident who did not give us his last name. He would be our guide for our brief tour of his village. He explained that we were standing beside the only kindergarten and clinic available inside Abu-Talul which has a total population of 15,000. He then pointed to a building in the distance. It was the only grade school. Education is a major issue among the Bedouin youth because it is so difficult for many of them to stay in school. Many Bedouin, mostly girls, end their schooling early due to parental pressure to take on traditional roles as wives and mothers. A high school has not yet been built in the village.
We were then introduced to Maha, a Bedouin woman who has struggled to get an education all her life. She had an arranged marriage at age 13½. She then divorced her husband at 17 and remarried at 20 (a practice common among Bedouin women). Her father did not allow her to finish high school, but because of her persistence and support from her second husband, she was able to get an education and now is certified to practice many occupations. I was able to ask her some questions on the bus ride back to Beer Sheva.
Q: Is your story common among Bedouin women?
A: Women getting education is becoming more and more common. Now, more Bedouin women than men are going to college. More often, the men just go to professional school to become mechanics, electricians and such. On the other hand, women mostly become nurses or teachers. This is beginning to cause social dilemmas within the Bedouin communities because of husband/wife role reversals. Recently, the women have become the primary source of income for families, but are also expected to fill their traditional roles as housekeepers.
Q: What does it mean to be an unrecognized village?
A: Unrecognized villages are ones not created by the Israeli government. Because of this they are considered illegal and therefore do not receive the usual governmental benefits such as paved roads, running water, trash disposal and electricity. The Knesset will only recognize the seven Bedouin villages that they set up beginning in 1966.
******************************
From the perspective of this Bedouin woman, these villages are unsuccessful because the government paid no attention to tribal and family relations, fueling already existing tensions among Bedouin sheiks and tribes.
It is puzzling to me as an outside observer why the government will not recognize villages like Abu-Tall seeing that the land is not being put to better use.