Around 300,000 Bedouin citizens live in the Negev, most of them in the Siyag (restricted) area, approximately 1 million dunam in the Be’er Sheva region. About half of this population resides in seven state-planned towns established in the late 20th century; the rest live in villages that, until the early 2000s, received no state recognition. Since 1999, a gradual recognition process has begun: as of 2025, 16 villages have been recognized, while 30 remain unrecognized.
Approximately 100,000 Bedouin residents live in unrecognized villages without basic infrastructure such as water, electricity, or paved roads; without planning solutions; and without local government representation. Their homes are classified as “illegal,” leaving them under constant threat of demolition and eviction.
This situation arises from a long-standing land dispute between the Bedouin and the state over 600,000 dunams—about 5% of the Negev. In practice, Bedouin communities inhabit only around 3% of the Negev. The state’s refusal to recognize Bedouin villages allows it to treat much of the Negev as “undesignated land,” which can then be allocated for large national projects and for new Jewish localities. During wartime, non-recognition becomes life-threatening, as unrecognized villages lack shelters, sirens, and coverage by civil defense systems.
