Following last Sunday’s attack in the Be’ersheba central bus station, widely reported to have been perpetrated by a Bedouin citizen of Israel, Israeli Bedouin leaders and civil society organizations issued statements expressing sadness and condemnation, and affirming Bedouin commitment to maintaining peaceful Israeli society.
Mohammad Alnabari, Mayor of Hura, who has made continuous strides in strengthening Jewish-Bedouin relations and the advancement of Bedouins as an integral part of Israeli society, published the following statement in response to the attack:
Following yesterday’s terrorist attack at the Beer Sheva Central Bus Station in which two innocent people lost their lives, we utterly and unreservedly condemn this despicable act and reject violence of any sort.
Although, contrary to reports in the media the terrorist is not a resident of Hura, we condemn this act on behalf of the entire Bedouin society and wish to make clear that you cannot be both a terrorist and a citizen of the country, the two are inherently contradictory.
We call upon all the residents of the Negev, Arabs and Jews, to preserve and protect the relations between the two peoples for the benefit of us all. We pray for better and quieter days in which all the citizens of the country live together in peace.
In a statement on Israeli television, Talal al-Krenawi, the Mayor of Rahat, shared a similar message, stressing that the Bedouin community at large was not supportive of terrorism, and that he hoped that no other members of the minority would take part in attacks against Israelis: “Any harm to innocent civilians, both Arabs and Jews, is not acceptable to us … we live in the Negev, Bedouins and Jews, as brothers. Any attempt to damage our relationship will not be accepted. We are not part of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
Former MK Taleb a-Sana also spoke out against the attack at a press conference because he felt a responsibility to take a clear stand by thoroughly condemning this attack. “It is the act of an individual. We are a part of you. The terrorist’s actions are not our way, and we beg you not to smear all the Bedouin with the paint brush that this terrorist has colored. We all know about the political dispute, but this is not our way to solve it, even though it is hard for us as Bedouin when our nation fights our Arab nation. But we will not allow this to ruin the good relations that thrive in the Negev.”
In addition, civil society organizations with Jews and Bedouins in the Negev also issued statements condemning the act and expressing concern for its impact on Jewish-Bedouin relations, calling on citizens to remain committed to maintaining a shared and peaceful society for all.
New Dawn
The “New Dawn” organization categorically condemns the terrible terrorist action that took place on Sunday evening in the Central Bus Station in Beer Sheva and asks for an immediate halt to the violence. We are horrified by the act and do not legitimize it in any way.
Our fear is for the direction which our relationship, the relationship between Jews and Bedouin is taking .The violence is causing a rift in the relationship that has taken so many years to build. We refuse to allow violence to achieve its goal which is the collapse of what we value so much. We are not willing to let fear and anxiety control us.
It’s crucial to jealously guard what progress and achievements have been made between us. We share many aspects of our daily lives, the same ambitions for our children in the same neighborhoods. We go shopping in the same malls, walk on the same streets and drive on the same roads. It is the responsibility of all of us, jointly, to proceed with understanding. Attending to the human values of friendship and brotherhood we will persist in construction, not disintegration. Anything else is impossible.
Jamal Alkirnawi
Founder and Executive Director
A New Dawn in the Negev
AJEEC – NISPED
Yesterday evening, the horrible cycle of violence that has spread across the country in recent weeks touched the residents of the Negev. The attack at the Central Bus Station of Beersheva took the lives of two people and left many others injured and traumatized. We unequivocally condemn this tragic and senseless attack and all other forms of violence by any side. We were stunned to learn that the man who committed this attack came from the Negev Bedouin community. This grave and exceptional tragedy cannot be accepted or justified by any element in society. We appeal to all Negev residents to keep calm and to maintain the peaceful relations that have existed between the two communities.
With hope for better days,
Kher Elbaz and Ariel Dloomy,
Co-Executive Directors of AJEEC-NISPED
Sikkuy
Sikkuy, as an organization of both Jewish and Arab citizens, would like to express our most severe shock and repulsion from the murder act of an Israeli soldier by an Arab citizen of Israel yesterday in Beer Sheva. We are sending our condolences to the family and a quick recovery to the wounded.
Even in the heart of the events, there can be no option to morally justify the ruthless attack against a passerby, an Eritrea national, who was murdered by the mob on location with no fault of his own.
This cycle of violence must stop immediately for all our sakes.
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