Our friend in Montreal, Stephen Scheinberg, an emeritus professor of history and a leading activist of Canadian Friends of Peace Now, brings our attention to a piece on the Bedouin, posted at “+972,” an online magazine, based in Israel and Palestine:

Remains of an unrecognized Negev Bedouin village

Some of you know that my dedication to a better Israel is not merely concentrated on peace with the Palestinians.  A few years ago, on a visit to Israel, I was struck by Israel’s blindness towards her indigenous people, the Bedouins.  The article below serves as an  update on the policy of Bedouin Removal and leaves me in pain.Where are the voices of liberal Jews in Canada, U.S. and elsewhere, to protest this massive violation of human rights? What do those who defend Israel as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” have to say? As an American historian, it reminds me of the Cherokee Removal and other infamous acts.  Can this be the 21st century?–Steve

Author of this “+972” article:  Mya Guarnieri

In 2004, Israeli officials were up in arms about an impending Bedouin Intifada. But the Bedouin didn’t rebel and now, despite plans to expel tens of thousands of them from their homes in the West Bank and the Negev, things remain relatively quiet. Why?

This is how Mya Guarnieri answers the above question in her concluding paragraph:

With Palestine’s Bedouin divided between Israel and the surrounding countries; split between those who serve in the Israeli army and those who don’t; struggling to survive; lacking leadership and a cohesive national strategy – an organized and sustainable uprising is unlikely. The international community, then, has a responsibility to stop the home demolitions and forced transfers that Palestinians and Bedouin face in the West Bank and inside Israel.