MK Merav Ben Ari on Thursday toured the Negev with Meir Deutsch, Director General of the Regavim Movement, to gain a deeper understanding of some of the issues raised in a recent hearing in the Knesset Domestic Security Committee.
Thursday’s tour spotlighted a number of issues that the State of Israel must address regarding the Negev – issues that are challenging the development of the region in both the short term and long term. The tour provided a first-hand view, from the ground and from the air, of the legal, permanent Bedouin settlements as well as the illegal squatters’ camps.
After driving through the Negev and taking a flyover tour of the vast areas of illegal settlement, MK Ben Ari said: “Despite the rainy, cold weather I traveled to the south to tour the Negev on foot, by car and in a small aircraft with Meir Deutsch. We have discussed taking just this sort of tour a number of times in the course of committee hearings, and today it finally happened, despite the challenging conditions.”
“In the course of the field tour we examined the situation in the Negev, learned about the practice of polygamy that has given rise to what is known as 'Generation B Palestinians,' witnessed the extent of illegal construction, and more. Years of neglect have brought the state to a very difficult situation in the Negev; there is so much that must be corrected.
“We have seen that the situation here is extremely complex, [we’ve seen] the sprawl of Bedouin settlements, and we must see what can be done, how we can achieve regulation in order to prevent illegal spread to the entire region.”
