World demands - Palestine Solidarity Campaign

16 palestine NEWS COMMENT & ANALYSISSpring 2012The Prawer Plan:Total destruction ofBedouin way of lifeIn January the government of Israel published the memorandumof a bill named “Regulation of the Bedouin settlement in theNegev” – commonly known as the Prawer Plan – whichstates the steps to be implemented forcibly to removethe overwhelming majority of the residents of Israel’s“unrecognised” villages – around 30,000 people – and confiscateabout two thirds of the land remaining in their possession.Here Dr Yeela Raanan analyses the methods thegovernment is planning to use to defeat the widespreadresistance to its unjust plans.This bill is currently going through thelegislative process in the Knesset andsoon will become law. And this is whatthe Bedouin are now facing:• The bill’s main aim is to force theBedouin to give up the little land they arestill holding onto.• In order to do so, the bill spells out anintense, violent and destructive process,utilising family pressure, bulldozers andincarceration.• The bill is written in a confusingmanner, so that the majority of theBedouin community are incapable of evenunderstanding what the government isputting before them. Ironically, they areexpected to give their comments via theweb.• The government is spending a verylarge amount of money to send emissariesto “convince” the Bedouin that acceptingthis bill is to their benefit. At the sametime the media is cooperating with thegovernment and remaining silent regardingall protests and criticisms against thisdangerous bill. Thus, the two amazingdemonstrations of the Bedouin – of over10,000 in Beer Sheva and another 6,000 inJerusalem – were not covered at all by theHebrew media.Just a couple of items from the bill willshow you the monstrosity of it:are giving up their land claims too (againfor 50% in land compensation). However,if any of the siblings does not wish to playalong, then all other siblings will receiveless land in compensation but insteadreceive some insignificant monetarycompensation.What does this mean? It means thatthere will be strife in all the Bedouin families.As all Bedouin are people, they will notalways agree. Therefore one person willreceive far less land because his brotherwill refuse to sign his land away. From thispoint on, they will not speak to each otherfor generations... and to think that thegovernment is creating this kind of strifewithin families – is horrendous.2. According to the bill, when it is time to“clear” a piece of land of Bedouin this isthe process:• The prime minister signs that thisspecific area is now to be cleared.• The Bedouin have two weeks in whichto clear out everything: structures, animals,trees, people and movables.• The government may then demolishanything left in the area and incarcerate fortwo years anyone remaining.• The bill prevents the intervention of thecourts, as it states that there is no need fora court injunction to demolish the structuresand that the court may at the mostpostpone the “clearing” by one week.This process will be implemented uponthe entire area of the unrecognised villageswithin five years.Where will the people go to? It is notspecified. Does the government need toprovide those it is clearing out with anotherplace to go to? It is not specified. Do theresidents of the villages, as they are beingcleared off, have any say in where they willhave to move to? It is not specified.1. Cynically utilising family pressureMembers of the Bedouin community arenot interested in monetary compensationfor their lands; they want the land itself. Aperson can receive up to 50% of his landin “compensation” IF he convinces ALLhis siblings and cousins to sign that theyBedouin women protesting against the Prawer Plan. Photo: Silvia Baorini, Demotix.