Ruling the Desert: Ottoman and British Policies towards the Bedouin of the Naqab and Transjordan Region, 1900–1948

Abstract

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 Paradox of Professional Marginality among Arab-Bedouin Women

“…The colonial history of the Middle East demonstrates application of the politics of notables , according to which traditional leaders are granted privileges and reinforcement in return for imposing order on their respective groups and keeping them loyal to the colonial rule (see Khatar, 2001; Watenpaugh, 2006). The Ottomans and the British also used this strategy to control the Bedouins in Mandatory Palestine by placing tribal chiefs in charge of administrative units in various geographic areas and negotiating with them as key representatives of Bedouin society (Nasasra, 2015). Israel perpetuates such strategy to this day: confining Bedouins to towns divided into neighbourhoods according to tribal origin, maintaining tribally based appointments of officials and reinforcing tribal leaders in conflict resolution all continue the policy of striking alliances with the tribal leadership, which is backed by the establishment and operates without supervision even when its actions conflict with professional women’s codes of ethics, as told by the participants of this study.…”

Emptied Lands: A Legal Geography of Bedouin Rights in the Negev. By Alexandre Kedar, Ahmad Amara and Oren Yiftachel. Stanford: Stanford University Press 2019. 424 pp. $70 hardcover.

“…The question of Zionist‐British‐Bedouin relations before 1948 is a fascinating topic. The book continues the works of Nasasra (, ) in this direction, but avoids his pioneering framework of subaltern politics and resistance (); the British‐Bedouin affair revolves around more than progressive colonial policies of granting cultural and legal autonomy.…”

A Revitalized City in the Desert: Beersheba During the Ottoman Period

“…Throughout the 400-year period of Ottoman dominion, Palestine was governed from either Gaza, the Negev, or Jerusalem. Gaza serves as the administrative hub of the Negev region (Nasasra, 2015). In 1899, Gaza encompassed five prominent tribes consisting of 70-80 thousand Bedouins and 70 urban centers and settlements.…”