Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages

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. [Maha Qupty. [http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=199 "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev"] ; De la Marginación a la Ciudadanía, 38 Casos de Production Social del Hábitat, Forum Barcelona, Habitat International Coalition. Case study, 2004]

tructure

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. [ [http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/D3E6AB347B938D68802570B8005A6F87?OpenDocument Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre] ] 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. [Maha Qupty. [http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=199 "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev"] ; De la Marginación a la Ciudadanía, 38 Casos de Production Social del Hábitat, Forum Barcelona, Habitat International Coalition. Case study, 2004]

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. [Maha Qupty. [http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=199 "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev"] ; De la Marginación a la Ciudadanía, 38 Casos de Production Social del Hábitat, Forum Barcelona, Habitat International Coalition. Case study, 2004]

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. [ [http://hrw.org/reports/2008/iopt0308/5.htm#_Toc193705079 "Off the
] ; Human Rights Watch, March 2008]

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." [Maha Qupty. [http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=199 "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev"] ; De la Marginación a la Ciudadanía, 38 Casos de Production Social del Hábitat, Forum Barcelona, Habitat International Coalition. Case study, 2004]

The RCUV seeks to address:
*1) The nonrecognition of 45 unrecognized villages;
*2) Lack of municipal services in the unrecognized villages;
*3) Lack of local community representatives;
*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. [Maha Qupty. [http://www.hic-net.org/document.asp?PID=199 "Bedouin Unrecognized Villages of the Negev"] ; De la Marginación a la Ciudadanía, 38 Casos de Production Social del Hábitat, Forum Barcelona, Habitat International Coalition. Case study, 2004]

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, [Rory McCarthy. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/01/israelandthepalestinians1 "Nomadic bedouin fight to survive in the village which does not exist: Israel accused of discriminating against Negev desert clans"] ; The Guardian, April 1 2008] however the RCUV has worked to bring public pressure to bear on the Committee, from the outside. [ [http://neohasid.org/negev/commission_on_the_bedouin/ "RCUV's Recommendations for the Goldberg Commission!"] ; Save the Negev, 2006]

References

External sources

* [http://www.rcuv.net/ RCUV website]
* [http://www.washington-report.org/archives/August_2007/0708014.html Washington Report on Middle East Affairs]
* [http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/D3E6AB347B938D68802570B8005A6F87?OpenDocument Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre]
* [http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/16198 ZNet article on Devorah Brous, calling for government acknowledgement of the RCUV]