MEXICO CITY, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres, in Mexico Sunday, said a land reform bill for Israeli Bedouins in the Negev must be pursued.
"Millions of shekels were invested in this plan and I'm sure the intentions are good, Backing down would mean a step back for the Bedouins as well," Ynetnews.com quoted Peres saying as he wound up his trip in Mexico.
Peres' comments came a day after hundreds of Bedouins protested the government's plans to resettle the Bedouin population and provide them with compensation. Dozens of protesters were arrested and injured Saturday during clashes around Negev, Haifa, Nazareth, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, unaffected by the bill, joined in the protests.
The proposed bill known as the Prawer-Begin bill, is a five-year economic development initiative to regulate Bedouin settlement in the South, The Jerusalem Post said. If passed by the Knesset, it would resolve the ownership claims of Bedouin on Negev lands, and offer them relocation and compensation. Currently thousands of Bedouin live in illegal communities on state land in the Negev. Many have been unable to prove ownership.
"One must expect this having great resistance, but the law must be abided and diplomacy utilized," Peres said, adding the government means no harm.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Saturday night the land reform bill would advance and added riots would not be tolerated.
Doron Almog, who heads the Economic and Community Development of the Negev Bedouin in the Prime Minister's Office, told The Jerusalem Post the majority of Bedouin who live in the Negev want change and development. "We have a good plan and are going to invest a lot of money to create a better future. The Arab and Bedouin population need to cooperate to strengthen Israel."
