This paper argues that there is a current and renewed escalation in Israeli policies towards the indigenous Bedouin of the Naqab and Beersheba, and that this escalation emerges from two longstanding, fundamental Israeli aims: Judaising the Naqab; and putting an end to the persistent Bedouin claims to their historical land and rights. The repeated demolition of the village of Al-Araqib on July 2010 is just the latest outstanding example of the Israeli policies of Judaising the Naqab and denying Bedouin land claims and historical rights. Israel appears to be pursing an ultimate solution to the demographic concern of the Bedouin in the Naqab by bringing more settlers into the area, and expelling the majority of the Bedouin of the unrecognised villages to live in urban towns. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE Mansour Nasasra teaches Middle East politics and International Relations in the Department of Politics at the University of Exeter, with a broad interest in the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, and in particular the indigenous Bedouin of the Naqab. The main thrust of his work was based on oral history interviews and archival materials, and included numerous oral history interviews with the indigenous Bedouin of the Naqab and Beersheba region. Throughout the years of his doctoral research, he spent a considerable amount of time in the main Israeli, Palestinian and British archives.
The various policies developed by the Ottomans and British for governing the indigenous Bedouin tribes of the Negev/Naqab and Beersheba (southern Palestine) region between 1900 and 1948 are examined using primary sources. Whereas Ottoman attempts to pacify the tribes in southern Palestine and Transjordan were somewhat ineffective, the British Mandate achieved a degree of control and stability by incorporating tribesmen into the Palestine Police, strengthening the frontier areas and enhancing inter-territorial tribunal arrangements between Beersheba, Sinai and Transjordan.
The May 2021 Palestinian demonstrations in Shaikh Jarrah and Damascus Gate in occupied East Jerusalem and elsewhere in Arab towns inside Israel mark a dramatic shift in Israeli Palestinian conflict. These events in al Quds (Jerusalem) are directly linked to the Israeli policy of expelling more Palestinians from the borderland zone. In effect, such policy is used to control the most important geo-political space– the Shaikh Jarrah neighbourhood. In so doing, it imposes sovereignty over the Damascus Gate and its steps. The ongoing Israeli policy of imposing full control over the Shaikh Jarrah neighbourhood would mean challenging the historical role of diplomatic missions, international consulates and organizations, which represent many countries in the region. Based on ongoing research and interviews in East Jerusalem, this special essay argues that the Shaikh Jarrah protests are another manifestation of the ongoing struggle over control and sovereignty in the Old City and occupied East Jerusalem. It shows how the Shaikh Jarrah demonstrations display a unique picture of the conflict over borderland and geopolitics in al Quds.
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