Rahat Mayor Urges Bedouin Disarmament

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Written by Samuel Sokol

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 19:00

Terrified customers fled in panic at the Negev Mall in Be'er Sheva last week, as a Bedouin tracker from the IDF's Special Desert Patrol unit shot dead a fellow soldier in a squabble over a cellular telephone.

This is the second such incident this year. In January, a member of the unit killed a colleague during a patrol. This incident came as a result of an argument over a radio. The defense and prosecution reached a plea bargain by which the shooter will serve an 18-year sentence. Both soldiers were residents of the Bedouin city of Rahat. Local police have expressed worry over the possibility of a reprisal from the victim's family.

Rahat mayor Faiz abu Sahiban called on defense officials to impose restrictions on Bedouin soldiers bringing weapons home on leave, saying that the IDF must "reconsider the procedures of weapons-carrying" during an interview with army radio. There have been calls in the IDF for the unit to "clean house" due to the shooting.

Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the IDF chief of staff, visited leaders of Israel's Bedouin community in November to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adkha ("Festival of Sacrifice"). AshkeÂnazi told the assembled notables that "We have no other country, and there is no way other than to nurture the cooperation with the Bedouin community. The IDF will continue to lead the way in allowing equal opportunities for Bedouin soldiers to integrate to all military roles. In my name and the name of the IDF, I salute you and bless you with a happy holiday."

Bedouin soldiers are known for having problems with military discipline. At the IDF Central Command's training base at Bet Guvrin, where the IDF trackers course is conducted, Bedouin personnel are known to use guard booths as bathrooms.

Arabs and Druze constitute only 22 percent of Israel's population, but account for 59 percent of all murders, according to Israeli police. Alean al-Krenawi of the Center for Bedouin Studies and Development at Ben Gurion University of the Negev has warned that "The Bedouin are a ticking bomb that could explode very powerfully."