Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages
Encyclopedia
The Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages (RCUV) is a democratic representative body for the 80,000-something residents of the Bedouin unrecognized villages of the Negev Desert. The residents of the Bedouin
unrecognized villages belong to no municipalities of their own and thus cannot elect representatives to promote their interests within the Israeli system. Thus the RCUV was established in 1997 by local inhabitants of the "unrecognized" villages who felt the need for a representative community-based organization. The 45 participating villages have a total population of 76,000 inhabitants, and each ranges in size from 500 to almost 5,000 residents.
The initiators of the RCUV soon after took on the development of a "Plan for the Development of Municipal Authority for the Arab Bedouin of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev," as an alternative to the government's standard approach to re-location of the unrecognized villages against their will.
According to Human Rights Watch
, when the Southern District Plan (TAMAM 4/14) was first formulated, it completely ignored the existence and needs of the Bedouin in the unrecognized villages. After the Association for Civil Rights in Israel
petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court in cooperation with the RCUV and the villagers it seeks to represent, the planning authorities acknowledged that TAMAM had discriminated against the Bedouin, and in July 2001 planners agreed to meet with community representatives. However, Human Rights Watch says this process dragged on for over seven years, and despite some improvements, as of 2008 the Plan still ignores the needs of most of the unrecognized villages.
The RCUV seeks to address:
In addition, the RCUV is working with the Abu Basma Regional Council
to assure that villages which are de jure recognized by the government receive de facto recognition through government allowances for herding and agriculture and the provision of services within a reasonable time frame.
In 2008, the Goldberg Committee, the body assigned the task of assessing the status and future of the unrecognized villages, revealed its recommendations. No member of the RCUV or of the unrecognized villages was on the panel of the Goldberg Committee, however the RCUV has worked to bring public pressure to bear on the Committee, from the outside.
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
unrecognized villages belong to no municipalities of their own and thus cannot elect representatives to promote their interests within the Israeli system. Thus the RCUV was established in 1997 by local inhabitants of the "unrecognized" villages who felt the need for a representative community-based organization. The 45 participating villages have a total population of 76,000 inhabitants, and each ranges in size from 500 to almost 5,000 residents.
Structure
The RCUV is an elected body, chosen to represent the Bedouin community of the 45 unrecognized villages in the Negev. The residents of each village elect a local committee of 3-7 persons, who become members of the general assembly of the RCUV. The general assembly democratically elects the chairperson and the executive committee once every 4 years. To this day, the RCUV is the only body of residents of the unrecognized villages which seeks to represent their interests.History
The RCUV was formed out of the 1996 efforts of the residents of the village of Umm Batin, together with its Local Committee of traditional leaders, to prevent the government's demolition destruction of houses in the village. During their resistance against the demolitions, three people were injured, including a child. The incident sparked the formation of RCUV.The initiators of the RCUV soon after took on the development of a "Plan for the Development of Municipal Authority for the Arab Bedouin of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev," as an alternative to the government's standard approach to re-location of the unrecognized villages against their will.
According to Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, when the Southern District Plan (TAMAM 4/14) was first formulated, it completely ignored the existence and needs of the Bedouin in the unrecognized villages. After the Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel was created as an independent non-partisan organization to protect human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories under its control....
petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court in cooperation with the RCUV and the villagers it seeks to represent, the planning authorities acknowledged that TAMAM had discriminated against the Bedouin, and in July 2001 planners agreed to meet with community representatives. However, Human Rights Watch says this process dragged on for over seven years, and despite some improvements, as of 2008 the Plan still ignores the needs of most of the unrecognized villages.
Current role
The RCUV summons community solidarity and the help of some outside supporters to empower unrecognized villagers "to defend themselves against the onslaught of the State against their lands and livelihoods."The RCUV seeks to address:
- 1) The government's treatment of 45 Bedouin villages as illegal "squats," and its residents as "trespassers";
- 2) The failure to extend municipal services afforded all other Israeli citizens;
- 3) The lack of community representation of the unrecognized villages in local councils, municipalities, planning and administrative bodies;
- 4) Protection from home demolitions, uprooting, land confiscation, and transfer; and
- 5) The Israeli national development plan and regional plans that ignore the existence of the villages.
In addition, the RCUV is working with the Abu Basma Regional Council
Abu Basma Regional Council
Abu Basma Regional Council is a regional council covering several Bedouin villages in the northwestern Negev desert of Israel.The council was formed as a result of Government Resolution 881 of 29 September 2003, known as the "Abu Basma Plan", which stated the need to establish seven new Bedouin...
to assure that villages which are de jure recognized by the government receive de facto recognition through government allowances for herding and agriculture and the provision of services within a reasonable time frame.
In 2008, the Goldberg Committee, the body assigned the task of assessing the status and future of the unrecognized villages, revealed its recommendations. No member of the RCUV or of the unrecognized villages was on the panel of the Goldberg Committee, however the RCUV has worked to bring public pressure to bear on the Committee, from the outside.