Umm Batin ( ar, أم بطين; he, אום בטין) is a
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arabs, Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert ...
village in southern Israel. Located in the northern
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
desert, 12 km northeast of
Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
and adjacent to the
highway 60, it falls under the jurisdiction of
al-Kasom Regional Council
al-Kasom Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית אל קסום, ''Mo'atza Azorit El Kassum'', ar, المجلس الإقليمي القيصوم, ''al-Majlis al-Iqlīmī al-Qayṣūm'') is one of two Negev Bedouin regional councils formed as ...
. In it had a population of .
Etymology
The village name derives from the Arabic words for mother, ''umm'' (أمّ), and hidden, ''batin'' (باتين). Translated, Umm Batin can mean either Hidden Mother or Mother of the Hidden. The historical origins of the village name are not well-documented.
History
Prior to the establishment of Israel, the
Negev Bedouin
The Negev Bedouin ( ar, بدو النقب, ''Badū an-Naqab''; he, הבדואים בנגב, ''HaBedu'im BaNegev'') are traditionally pastoral nomadic Arab tribes ( Bedouin), who until the later part of the 19th century would wander between Sa ...
s were a semi-nomadic society that had been through a process of sedentariness since the
Ottoman rule of the region. During the
British Mandate period, no legal framework was established to justify and preserve land ownership. Thus Israel’s land policy was adopted to a large extent from the Ottoman land regulations of 1858 as the only legal precedent.
Israel has continued the Ottoman policy of
sedentarization
In cultural anthropology, sedentism (sometimes called sedentariness; compare sedentarism) is the practice of living in one place for a long time. , the large majority of people belong to sedentary cultures. In evolutionary anthropology and ar ...
of Negev Bedouins. In the 1950s Israel re-settled two-thirds of the Negev Bedouin in an area that was under a martial law. Several townships were built for them, offering better living conditions, infrastructure, sanitation, health and education, and municipal services.
As of today, according to the information of
Israel Land Administration
The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...
, over 60% of the Negev Bedouin live in seven settlements in the
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its sout ...
desert with approved plans and developed infrastructure:
Hura,
Lakiya
Lakiya, or Laqye ( ar, اللقية, he, לָקִיָּה) is a Bedouin town ( local council) in the Southern District of Israel. In it had a population of .
History
Lakiya was founded in 1985 as part of a government project to settle Bedouin ...
,
Ar'arat an-Naqab (Ar'ara BaNegev),
Shaqib al-Salam
Shaqib al-Salam ( ar, شقيب السلام) or Segev Shalom ( he, שֶׂגֶב שָׁלוֹם) and also known as Shqeb as-Salam, is a Bedouin town and a local council in the Southern District of Israel, southeast of Beersheba. In it had a po ...
(Segev Shalom),
Tel as-Sabi (Tel-Sheva),
Kuseife and the city of
Rahat, the largest among them. These townships cannot resolve the issue of high population density and illegal construction in the Negev absolutely, so besides expanding existing towns, the Israeli government has decided to construct 13 additional settlements with modern infrastructure for the Negev Bedouin, and Umm Batin is one of them.
The village was established following
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...
Resolution 881 on 29 September 2003, which created eight new Bedouin settlements (seven of which were to be located in the now defunct
Abu Basma Regional Council
Abu Basma Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית אבו בסמה, ''Moatza Ezorit Abu Basma'', ar, مجلس إقليمي أبو بسمة, ''Majlis Iqlimi Abu Basma'') was a regional council operating in 2003-2012 and covering several Be ...
). It was
officially recognized in 2004.
In early December 2016,
Israel’s Transport Ministry without any previous warning or explanation suddenly removed the village’s only bus stop, thus isolating villagers who do not have private vehicles.
Local government
Formerly part of the
Abu Basma Regional Council
Abu Basma Regional Council ( he, מועצה אזורית אבו בסמה, ''Moatza Ezorit Abu Basma'', ar, مجلس إقليمي أبو بسمة, ''Majlis Iqlimi Abu Basma'') was a regional council operating in 2003-2012 and covering several Be ...
, Umm Batin currently falls under the jurisdiction of al-Kasom Regional Council. On November 5, 2012 the
Israeli Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior ( he, משרד הפנים, ''Misrad HaPnim''; ar, وزارة الداخلية) in the State of Israel is one of the government offices that is responsible for local government, citizenship and residency, identity card ...
abolished Abu Basma, splitting it into two smaller regional councils, al-Kasom and
Neve Midbar.
Prior to its division, Abu Basma Regional Council represented approximately 30,000 people spread across eleven newly recognized Bedouin villages. Along with the dismantling of Abu Basma, the
Israeli Interior Minister postponed regional council elections for Al-Kasom and Neve Midbar until 2017. From its inception in 2003 until its division in 2012, Abu Basma Regional Council had been headed by an official appointed by the Interior Minister. The elections—which had been mandated in a ruling by the
Israel Supreme Court to take place in December 2012 - would have represented the first democratically elected leadership of the Council.
It is accepted to give all the newly established councils a four-year trial period before elections are held. According to the amendment to the Regional Councils’ Law passed in 2009, that period can be extended by the
Israeli Ministry of Interior
The Ministry of Interior ( he, משרד הפנים, ''Misrad HaPnim''; ar, وزارة الداخلية) in the State of Israel is one of the government offices that is responsible for local government, citizenship and residency, identity card ...
indefinitely. Following a decision taken by the
Kneset’s Interior Committee in 2010 to force the government to present a detailed timeline for the council’s development the date for the first elections in the Abu Basma Regional Council was set as 2012. But due to the unpreparedness and low level of municipal services eventually these elections were delayed once again and never took place due to the regional council's abolition.
Demography
The residents are mainly of two tribes: Abu Kaf and Abu Assa.
Education
Umm Batin has four schools, serving kindergarten through twelfth grade: Abu Kaf and Al-Sanabel Elementary Schools, Awrat Secondary School, and ORT Umm Batin High School. There were a total of 2,163 students enrolled in Umm Batin schools in 2012. The nearest university is
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) ( he, אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב, ''Universitat Ben-Guriyon baNegev'') is a public research university in Beersheba, Israel. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has five campuses: the ...
in Be'er Sheva.
There is an acting "The English in Umm Batin" program, a result of cooperation between the
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Medical School for International Health, the community of Umm Batin, and the students of ORT Umm Batin High School.
English in Umm Batin student blog
/ref>
File:Al-Sanabel Elementary School.jpg, Al-Sanabel Elementary School
File:Abu Kaf school Umm Batin.JPG, Abu Kaf Elementary School
File:Abu Kaf school 2 Umm Batin.JPG, Abu Kaf Elementary School
File:Umm Batin path.jpg, Dirt road through Umm Batin
File:Umm Batin goat pen.JPG, Family goat pen in Umm Batin
See also
*Arab localities in Israel
Arab localities in Israel include all population centers with a 50% or higher Arab population in Israel. East Jerusalem and Golan Heights are not internationally recognized parts of Israel proper but have been included in this list.
According to ...
*Bedouin in Israel
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and Ar ...
*Negev Bedouin
The Negev Bedouin ( ar, بدو النقب, ''Badū an-Naqab''; he, הבדואים בנגב, ''HaBedu'im BaNegev'') are traditionally pastoral nomadic Arab tribes ( Bedouin), who until the later part of the 19th century would wander between Sa ...
*Sedentarization
In cultural anthropology, sedentism (sometimes called sedentariness; compare sedentarism) is the practice of living in one place for a long time. , the large majority of people belong to sedentary cultures. In evolutionary anthropology and ar ...
References
External links
Umm Batin
Abu Basma Regional Council
ORT Umm Batin and the High School for Environmental Studies in the Negev
Lands of the Negev
a short film by Israel Land Administration
The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...
describing the challenges in providing land management and infrastructure to the Negev Bedouin
The Negev Bedouin ( ar, بدو النقب, ''Badū an-Naqab''; he, הבדואים בנגב, ''HaBedu'im BaNegev'') are traditionally pastoral nomadic Arab tribes ( Bedouin), who until the later part of the 19th century would wander between Sa ...
Bedouin information
Israel Land Administration
The Israel Land Administration (ILA; he, מנהל מקרקעי ישראל, Minhal Mekarka'ei Yisra'el; ar, مديرية أراضي اسرائيل) is an Israeli government authority responsible for managing land in Israel which is in the public d ...
* Seth Frantzman
Presentation to Regavim about Negev
{{Authority control
Al-Kasom Regional Council
Arab villages in Israel
Bedouin localities in Israel
Populated places in Southern District (Israel)
Populated places established in 2004
2004 establishments in Israel