Beduins in Israel
by Neta Dekel
The Beduins in Israel is one of the minorities that believe in the Islam Religion. They are around 3.5% of the Israeli population and are based mainly in the south of the country, in the Negev.
The Beduins origin is in the Arab peninsula and from the second century, they migrated north and up to the land of the future to be a part of Israel.
In the modern times, the Beduins have a lot of problems. On the one hand, they want to preserve the lifestyle of ancestors, but on the other, they are forced to adopt to the modern times of fixed houses, industrialisation, equal rights for women and much more.
The Beduins, unlike the other Muslims in Israel, are serving in the army, and try to blend into society, but for many years, the government failed to treat the Beduins as equals. Thus, most of the Beduins population are still living in tents and other types of temporary housing.
Rahat is the biggest city of Beduins in Israel and it is the first and only attempt of the government to move the Beduins from the temporary housing to fixed-place city.
The result of the collision of cultures is a very problematic society, full with anger and frustration that results in crime and violence.
I was visiting the City of Rahat and the surroundings a few years ago. I tried to bring back the sights and scents of the local market and the modern Beduins way of living.
