Bir Hadaj

Infobox Kibbutz
kibbutz_name= Bir Hadaj


caption=
imgsize=


caption3=
imgsize3=
hebname=Hebrew|ביר הדאג'
arname= بئر هداج
stdHeb=
altOffSp=
altUnoSp=
meaning=
foundation=
founded_by=
district= south
council= Abu Basma
affiliation=
population=
popyear=
area_dunam= 6550
mayor=
website=

Bir Hadaj ( _ar. بئر هداج; _he. 'ביר הדאג) is a Bedouin agricultural town located in the northwestern Negev. It was recognized by Israel in 2004 and along with 8 other villages, became a part of the Abu Basma Regional Council. It is the largest town of Abu Basma with a population of approximately 5,000 and a total land area of 6,550 dunums. The al-Azzama tribe populates the town. [ [http://www.mmi.gov.il/static/HanhalaPirsumim/Beduin_information.pdf Formation of new towns for the Negev Bedouin] MMI. p.5]

History

In 1978, Bir Hadaj was declared a closed military area, and the inhabitants were forced to relocate to Wadi al-Na'am near Beersheba. According to the Arab-Israeli NGO Arab Association for Human Rights, the inhabitants remained there until 1994, when they learned that their land was no longer being used for military purposes, but was being converted into a farm. The group states that they were only able to re-build their village two kilometers north of its original location. [ [http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:RgA7l43scfkJ:www.arabhra.org/publications/reports/PDF/HRA-RCUVCESCRReport.pdf+http://www.arabhra.org/publications/reports/PDF/HRA-RCUVCESCRReport.pdf The Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, Update: 2003] . The Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, The Arab Association for Human Rights. (as mirrored by Google Cache & retrieved 3 Dec 2007)]

ee also

*Shaqib al-Salam
*List of Arab localities in Israel
*Negev Bedouins

References