The Naqab Bedouins : A Century of Politics and Resistance

Conventional wisdom positions the Bedouins in southern Palestine and under Israeli military rule as victims or passive recipients. In__The Naqab Bedouins__, Mansour Nasasra rewrites this narrative, presenting them as active agents who, in defending their community and culture, have defied attempts at subjugation and control. The book challenges the notion of Bedouin docility under Israeli military rule and today, showing how they have contributed to shaping their own destiny.__The Naqab Bedouins__represents the first attempt to chronicle Bedouin history and politics across the last century, including the Ottoman era, the British Mandate, Israeli military rule, and the contemporary schema, and document its broader relevance to understanding state-minority relations in the region and beyond. Nasasra recounts the Naqab Bedouin history of political struggle and resistance to central authority. Nonviolent action and the strength of kin-based tribal organization helped the Bedouins assert land claims and call for the right of return to their historical villages. Through primary sources and oral history, including detailed interviews with local indigenous Bedouins and with Israeli and British officials, Nasasra shows how this Bedouin community survived strict state policies and military control and positioned itself as a political actor in the region. Conventional wisdom positions the Bedouins in southern Palestine and under Israeli military rule as victims or passive recipients. In The Naqab Bedouins , Mansour Nasasra rewrites this narrative, presenting them as active agents who, in defending their community and culture, have defied attempts at subjugation and control. The book challenges the notion of Bedouin docility under Israeli military rule and today, showing how they have contributed to shaping their own destiny. The Naqab Bedouins represents the first attempt to chronicle Bedouin history and politics across the last century, including the Ottoman era, the British Mandate, Israeli military rule, and the contemporary schema, and document its broader relevance to understanding state-minority relations in the region and beyond. Nasasra recounts the Naqab Bedouin history of political struggle and resistance to central authority. Nonviolent action and the strength of kin-based tribal organization helped the Bedouins assert land claims and call for the right of return to their historical villages. Through primary sources and oral history, including detailed interviews with local indigenous Bedouins and with Israeli and British officials, Nasasra shows how this Bedouin community survived strict state policies and military control and positioned itself as a political actor in the region. Conventional wisdom positions the Naqab Bedouins in southern Palestine and under Israeli military rule as victims or passive recipients. Mansour Nasasra rewrites this narrative, presenting them as active agents who, in defending their community and culture, have defied attempts at subjugation and control. The book challenges the notion of Bedouin docility under Israeli military rule, showing how they have contributed to shaping their own destiny. This represents the first attempt to chronicle Bedouin history and politics across the last century, including the Ottoman era, the British Mandate, and Israeli military rule, and document its broader relevance to understanding state-minority relations in the region and beyond. Nasasra recounts the Naqab Bedouin history of political struggle, land claims, and defiance. Bedouin resistance to central authority, mainly through nonviolent action and the strength of kin-based tribal organization, gave them power. Through primary sources and oral history, including detailed interviews with local indigenous Bedouin and with Israeli and British officials, Nasasra shows how the Naqab Bedouin community survived strict state policies and military control and positioned itself as a political actor in the region Table of Contents 6 List of Illustrations and Tables 8 Notes on Transliteration 10 Acknowledgments 12 List of Abbreviations 14 Introduction 18 1. Understanding the State Project: Power, Resistance, and Indigeneity 24 2. Ruling the Desert: Ottoman Policies Toward the Frontiers 55 3. British Colonial Policies for the Southern Palestine and Transjordan Bedouin, 1917–1948 75 4. Envisioning the Jewish State Project 109 5. The Emergence of Military Rule, 1949–1950 128 6. Reshaping the Tribes’ Historical Order, 1950–1952: Border Issues, Land Rights, IDPs, and UN Intervention 147 7. Traditional Leadership, Border Economy, Resistance, and Survival, 1952–1956 171 8. The Second Phase of Military Rule, 1956–1963 194 9. The End of Military Rule and Resistance to Urbanization Plans, 1962–1967 223 10. Postmilitary Rule, the Oslo Era, and the Contemporary Prawer Debate 239 11. The Ongoing Denial of Bedouin Rights and Their Nonviolent Resistance 255 Notes 262 References 272 Index 290