Phoebe Greenwood’s report in The Telegraph, Ex-South African Israel ambassador likens Bedouin treatment to Apartheid‘, June 19, is in many ways quite typical of mainstream media framing of issues relating to the nomadic Arab tribes living in the Negev region in Israel. Though Greenwood balances the sensationalist charge of ‘apartheid’ leveled by the the former ambassador with a response by a foreign ministry spokesperson, the title and text legitimize an extremely misleading narrative about the remarkably complex interplay between the Israeli government and the Bedouin.
Whilst my colleague Hadar Sela has done some superb reporting on the issue (which you can read here, here and here), blogger Elder of Ziyon recently filmed and narrated a very informative video on the subject – while on location in the Negev – that succinctly explains a few of the more vexing challenges faced by the Israeli government in determining how best to deal with unauthorized villages established by citizens who are part of this itinerant culture.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUtMQ12pb4g]a
Related articles
- Akus’s postcard from Israel: The Joe Alon Bedouin Center (cifwatch.com)
- Nomadic cultures and the West: Context on the issue of Israeli Bedouin the Guardian won’t provide. (cifwatch.com)
- The tooth fairy visits Qsar al Ser (cifwatch.com)
