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The Bedouin Problem and the Solution

(Middle East and Terrorism) Mordechai Kedar - Israel is interested in solving the matter of illegal Bedouin settlements through legal procedures. However, the problem is not only an issue of land. There are tremendous gaps between the Bedouin culture and a state culture. If the state desires to solve the problem at its root, it must take care of problems that are a result of tribal culture. The state must behave toward its Bedouin citizens in the Negev exactly as it does toward citizens in Tel Aviv. If a citizen in Tel Aviv is forbidden to build illegally on state land, a citizen in the Negev should not be permitted. A Bedouin girl must learn that, according to state law as well as Islamic law, she has the right to choose a life partner for herself, even if he is from another tribe, and that she can marry him with the condition that he not take another wife after her. The educational system must provide the youth of the Bedouin sector with information and awareness regarding the genetic dangers associated with marriage between relatives. The writer is director of the Center for the Study of the Middle East and Islam at Bar-Ilan University.
2013-12-13 00:00:00
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