Ticking time bomb: As long as this continues, the problem in the Negev will only worsen

Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute, analyzes the security threat posed by Palestinian affiliation among Bedouins in the Negev, against the backdrop of the arrest of five young men from Shgav Shalom. He cites the State Comptroller who warned that one in five Bedouins in the Negev has Palestinian affiliation, and warns that this is a strategic threat. Ben Shabbat calls for closing the 'approval tap' for family reunification with Palestinians, claiming that this leads to identification with terrorism.

Meir Ben Shabbat, head of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy and former head of the National Security Council, published an opinion column in Israel Hayom under the title 'Ticking Time Bomb'. He refers to the arrest of five young men from Shgav Shalom who planned to establish a military battalion and promote terrorism inspired by battalions in Judea and Samaria, presenting this as further illustration of the strategic threat warned about by the State Comptroller. Ben Shabbat cites Shin Bet data published last week, according to which in 2026, 72 residents of the Negev and south were arrested on suspicion of security offenses, and 50 of them were indicted. He returns to the State Comptroller's report from April 2026, which warned that one in five Bedouins in the Negev has Palestinian affiliation, stemming from marriages to Palestinian women, illegal presence, and weak enforcement. The State Comptroller defined this as a 'strategic threat to the State of Israel'. Ben Shabbat describes a meeting about 20 years ago with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter, in which Sharon was shocked by the scope of residency permits granted to Palestinians through family reunification. He claims that the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, amended as a temporary order in 2003, was intended to curb this phenomenon, but over the years the holes in the sieve have widened and the number of permits has increased. According to him, a path has been created for the realization of the 'right of return' in practice, affecting demographics, security, and Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. He warns that the Palestinian affiliation of 'ACHMASHIM' (citizens, soldiers, teachers, police officers) worsens over time, and that access to weapons and Israeli systems creates temptations for terrorism, sabotage, and espionage. As an example, he cites the affair of attempts to sabotage American bombers at an Air Force base in Britain, and mentions the State Comptroller's warning about the proximity of a Bedouin population to the Nevatim base. Ben Shabbat calls for personal intervention by the Prime Minister to close the 'ACHMASHIM tap', and claims that despite the awakening after October 7, the necessary change has not yet occurred in this area.