"Let others deal with the Middle East": The Bedouins' demand from the Arab parties

Bedouin community leaders in the Negev are calling on Ra'am and the Joint List to join the next government and focus on internal issues: crime, housing, employment, and education, instead of regional matters. Rahat Mayor: "We voted to influence and be an essential part of the change."

Leaders of the Bedouin community in the Negev today called on members of Knesset from Ra'am and the Joint List to join the next government and focus on the internal problems of Arab society: crime, housing, employment, and education, rather than on regional issues in the Middle East. Rahat Mayor Talal al-Qrinawi said that the widespread vote was intended to influence government policy, and called on the elected officials to integrate into the government or provide it with a safety net. Atiya al-Asam, chairman of the Council for Unrecognized Bedouin Villages, joined the call and said that the time has come for the Arab parties to have the power to solve major problems. He noted that about 3,000 families have lost their homes to demolitions in recent years, and called for urgent investment in education, health, transportation, and economic development.