President Isaac Herzog met with the leaders of the Bedouin community in southern Israel on Wednesday to discuss the challenges facing Bedouin communities.
Today, I met with the Forum of Heads of Bedouin Authorities in the South and we discussed the difficulties and challenges facing the Bedouin community, the most important of which is the issue of serious crime and violence in Arab society in general, and in Bedouin society in particular – and ways to deal with these challenges, in addition to the necessity of finding solutions and providing tools… pic. twitter.com/KgZYDBZU7n
— Isaac Herzog Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) January 8, 2025
The forefront issue was the serious crime and violence, which is a general issue for Arab communities but has been a particular issue for the Bedouin community.
The leaders discussed ways of dealing with these challenges and the necessity of finding solutions for these issues as well as finding practical tools to stem the violence.
“The Bedouin community is dear and important,” Hezog told them. “I believe that it has extraordinary abilities to contribute and integrate into Israeli society – it is necessary to give it the tools and at the same time find solutions to its issues that have been pending for years.”
They also discussed the impact of October 7 and the subsequent war on the community.
A devasting tragedy
The meeting came the same day the IDF announced the discovery of the body of Youssef al-Ziyadne, 53, in a tunnel under Rafah.
Youssef was one of a number of Bedouin-Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, alongside three of his children from Kibbutz Holit, where he had worked for 19 years.
Two of his children, Bilal and Aisha, were released as part of the November 2023 hostage deal. His son Hamza, 23, was confirmed killed on Friday following an assessment by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Youssef left behind 18 children, two wives, and several grandchildren. Hamza left behind a wife and two children.
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President Herzog said, following the announcement, “Our hearts ache for the immense tragedy of the Ziyadne family, who were informed of the rescue of the body of the late Youssef from Hamas captivity by security forces.”
Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report.
