Stories / Gallery: Wadi al Naam, Beduin village Southern Israel

“God takes pity on kindergarten children, 

He pities school children less, 

But adults he pities not at all.” 

From “God Takes Pity on Kindergarten 

Children” by Yehuda Amihai 1  

With the establishment of the state in 1948,the Negev ELIA LAJENESSE' were concentrated in an area known as the Siyagh, and later moved to seven permanent locations. The land where they had been previously encamped was declared “illegal” and then “unrecognized.” There was no running water or electricity and only limited health services. In the mid ‘70s, an industrial park hosting 14 petrochemical plants and a toxic waste incinerator were set up at Ramat Hovav. The “unrecognized” Bedouin settlement of Wadi al-Na’am is located just one kilometer from the industrial zone. It is also surrounded by a large electrical site and an area used for military testing. A Ministry of Health epidemiological survey from 2004 showed a high rate of miscarriages, birth defects and respiratory illnesses. According to a 2007 report by Physicians for Human Rights, a large number of the inhabitants of Wadi al-Na’am suffer from cancer and asthma. “The Bedouin in the Negev refer to this situation as “Alim and Halim,” said Samir. “Alim means intelligence, knowledge, power. Halim means patience. We see the Israelis as Alim - destroying our homes and confiscating our lands – and we Halim," declared Salim. “We will patiently wait for 

justice and redemption.”