Dear limbic11-ga,
Only a small proportion of Bedouins join the IDF and these are from
Northern Israel. Those in the south in the Negev are ambivalent in
their attitude toward Israel. The reasons for this lies back when the
British controlled the area, and later when the newly formed Jewish
State was under threat from its Arab neighbours. These Bedouin entered
into what is describe as a ?blood covenant? to support and defend the
State of Israel as they believed that was in their best interests.
They had land and wanted to defend it.
Of course the present situation in the Middle East makes it very
difficult to sort reliable information from propaganda but I hope that
the various sources below will give a good background to the answer.
?The Scout? by By Steven Plaut is a story "based on the remarkable,
true story of a legendary Bedouin scout in the Israeli Security
Forces". A brief extract of the book has been posted on a web site.
The Al-Heib Bedouins are also referred to in a number of news articles
detailed below.
"Even before Israeli Independence was formally announced, Sheikh
Abu-Yusuf approached the military commanders of the Jewish brigades.
The Sheikh proposed a bond of blood. His tribe, the al-Heib, and the
Jews would stand together, fight together, die together. It was not an
act of expediency. The organized armies from five neighboring Arab
states were preparing to invade the infant state of Israel. The Jews
had only poorly-armed and poorly-disciplined militias. Their chances
of survival seemed slim."
http://shamash3.shamash.org/listarchives/yavneh-na/yavneh-na.02.10.25
http://161.58.167.199/shop/indi_scout.htm
Touring the United States in 2002 was Israeli Bedouin Ishmael Khaldi
lecturing on the Bedouins in Israel.
According to Ishmael Khaldi they aim to "live together, survive
together" and "most Bedouins want at some point to integrate
themselves completely into Israeli society, although they do wish to
retain much of their culture, including respect for tradition and
commitment to family values." He goes on to say that approximately 75
percent of Bedouin men serve on a voluntary basis in the IDF.
He then went on to say that "the Israeli government is initiating
better programs to educate Bedouin youth and support Bedouin
communities than did the British during the mandate". Bedouin
grievances were more socioeconomic than political.
http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2003-10-09/news/13289
"....and he continually praised the benefits granted to Bedouins since
the inception of an Israeli state in 1948. However, he criticized the
Israeli government's failure to recognize the need for Bedouins to
modernize their primitive culture to current society in Israel."
http://idsnews.com/story.php?id=19206
In another interview he states:
"....After 1917, when the first Zionists came to build the kibbutzim,
the Bedouin built great relationships with them and helped them,' said
Khaldi."
"...In 1931, when the Haganah (pre-state army) was established, even
then Bedouin joined the pre-state military groups, serving shoulder to
shoulder with Jews against the Arab regime and the British police,'
The Bedouin speak of 'a blood covenant' with the modern state of
Israel."
http://www.tippers.com/khaldi/bedouinpage.pdf
Web site of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"..Whereas the Negev Bedouin are ambivalent in their attitude toward
the State and their identification with it, the northern Bedouin
identify with it almost fully."
"...The Bedouin in Galilee and the Jezreel valley, numbering about
50,000, unlike those in the Negev and in the Central region, hail from
the Syrian desert. At the beginning of the century their nomadic way
of life and militancy put them in a position to harass villages and
demand tribute, giving them a sense of superiority over the fellahin
(farmers). During the British Mandate the Galilee Bedouin were
encouraged to purchase small plots of land and such purchases were
recorded in the Land Registry as legal possession.."
"...Towards the end of the British Mandate and during the struggle for
the establishment of the State of Israel, many Bedouin joined the
Jewish forces, believing that the Jewish state would be generous to
them. This also explains the continued good relations after the
establishment of the State, as manifested, first and foremost, in
volunteering for the security forces and serving on the front lines;
volunteering is considered by the Bedouin to be part of their
blood-pact with the State of Israel."
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0fg30
These three articles refer to some problems that have recently arisen
with the Al-Heib Bedouins in the IDF and they give some background to
their historical role in the IDF.
One notable quote is "We've been with the Jewish people since the
state began - we're blood brothers,"
http://www.dawn.com/2002/11/04/int18.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,901130,00.html
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2002/610/re5.htm
There are problems with the relationship however and this article is as example.
"The founding of the Palestinian National Authority in parts of the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank have pumped fresh blood into patriotic
feelings among Bedouins, who might have assimilated with the Zionist
system throughout the past decades but have not forgotten their Arab
origin and their Arab identity. The semi-independence the Palestinians
have under the PNA has raised hopes among Arabs in Israel that their
rights, mainly civil ones, are one day going to be honored by Israel."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/971128/1997112820.html
I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder
"bedouins" "israel" "defence force"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22bedouins%22+%22israel%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=20&sa=N
"bedouin" "blood covenant"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22bedouin%22+%22blood+covenant%22 |
