Regavim condemns NGOs for exploiting Bedouin tragedy in time of war
Regavim, a leading Israeli research-based legal advocacy organization, has condemned the efforts of NGOs* to further undermine Israeli law and solidify illegal Bedouin settlement by filing a suit against the State of Israel in the Supreme Court demanding immediate allocation of shelters to illegal Bedouin encampments in southern Israel.
Ari Briggs
They have then used the suit and the Court’s rejection of their demand to prop up fictitious claims of mistreatment of the Bedouin Arab sector compared to Jewish citizens.
“Thousands of Bedouin settlements in the Negev are built
illegally under the nose of the Israeli government with no regard to safety codes,” said Ari Briggs, International Director of
Regavim. “The NGOs filing suit have a history of undermining the State of Israel, and now they have found a way to further slander and distract Israel while the State is under attack. The only solution to Bedouin security is ensuring that Israeli law is applied equally to all citizens.”
Dedicated to ensuring responsible, legal, and environmentally sound use of Israeli state land, Regavim monitors more than 2,000 illegal Bedouin outposts in the Negev, warning that their severe violations of Israeli law, which amount to a mass land grab, cause danger to the State of Israel and to Israeli lives.
The spurious suit the NGOs brought to the Supreme Court on July 20 completely disregards facts on the ground and the integrity of Israeli law. Furthermore, bringing such a suit at a time of national crisis and sorrow reveals their harmful political intentions against the State and people of Israel.
Since the early 1990s, Israeli law requires safe rooms to be built
in all new homes and commercial buildings, a responsibility that falls upon home and property owners – not the
government. Citizens who do not abide by government safety codes place themselves at unnecessary risk of injury, fines or eviction. As a result of ignoring Israeli law, not only have Bedouin settlers not built safe rooms, they have erected thousands of homes in the middle of open expanses of state-owned land in the Northern Negev where knowingly sirens do not reach.
Unfortunately, the government has turned a blind eye to rampant Bedouin illegal settlement. Regavim calls on the Israeli government to respond vigorously to the NGOs’ spurious claims. The best way of ensuring the safety of all citizens at all times, whether peace or war, is by equally applying the rule of law to all.
Regavim have stated that the NGOs referred to in this release are Council of Unrecognized Villages, Physicians for Human Rights, Dukium NCF and ACRI.
Ari Briggs is a former member of the Sydney community.
How interesting that two of the NGOs cited receive funding from the NIF, that staunchly Zionist USA organisation, if of course, you believe what their web-site tells you.
Ari,
You say: “The best way of ensuring the safety of all citizens at all times, whether peace or war, is by equally applying the rule of law to all.”
As far as I am aware, as many of these people with their illegal land grab attempts are not citizens, their claims should be thrown out of court and dispensed with, followed by the mass deportation of all to Gaza or the Arab capital of their choice.
As far as NGOs are concerned, what is wrong with Israel? Why are these foreign based organisations even allowed to set up shop in Israel?
Deport all of them and shut down their operations.
It seems like the entire legal establishment has been infected with some left wing virus that dictates that the agenda of the enemies of Israel must be accommodated. I would not give these people the time of day.
Maybe Israel needs a benevolent dictatorship for a period because Israeli style democracy does not seem capable of producing the goods.
Gil,
The Bedouin are citizens of Israel. The NGO’s are foreign funded but are founded and run by misguided Israelis.
Ari,
Israeli style democracy can only be defined as insanity.
Only in Israel do people who preach hatred of “their” country, including Arab members of the Knesset get showered with citizenship.
At a minimum, these Negev Bedouin and others need to swear an oath of allegiance or have their citizenship revoked.
As far as the foreign funded issue is concerned, the organisation’s bank account should be frozen. This way, nothing in, nothing out.
Specifically addressing insanity, just look at the “Purity of Arms” policy that is only prolonging the current war, still getting Israel the usual bad press for all its efforts and getting Jewish boys killed in the process.