"When a stranger dwells within your land, do not vex him." (Leviticus 19:33)
In 1963 Israeli Minister of Defence, Moshe Dayan, told Haaretz: "We should transform the Bedouin into an urban proletariat. 88% of the Israeli population are not farmers, let the Bedouin be like them. Indeed, this will be a radical move which means that the Bedouin would not live on his land with his herds, but would become an urban person who comes home in the afternoon and puts his slippers on. His children will get used to a father who wears pants without a dagger and who does not pick out their nits in public. This will be a revolution, but it can be achieved in two generations. Without coercion but with governmental direction ... this phenomenon of the Bedouins will disappear."
As we have heard more complementing and conflicting narratives about the issues of the Bedouin communities of the Negev this week, the only thing that has become clearer is that the situation is not clear-cut. "Man who knows something knows that he knows nothing at all." (Erica Badu) I understand that I do not even close to understand the legal, political, cultural and socio-economic complexities but I have an uneasy feeling that the disrespectful, colonial attitude expressed by Moshe Dayan in 1963 has permeated Israeli opinion and policy for too long. I am fearful that the Israeli government may be doing exactly that which is prohibited in the Book of Leviticus; vexing the stranger in its land. I was pleased then that today we had the opportunity to meet with Cabinet Minister Benny Begin who is responsible under the Netanyahu coalition government for implementing the Prawer Plan. I appreciate that there is much work to be done within the Bedouin community, both in terms of addressing cultural challenges and developing local empowerment, but today is about considering Jewish/Israeli responsibility.
