Shepherds since time immemorial - Stop the expulsion of the shepherds of the Jahalin tribe

Help us protect the Jahalin shepherds in Nahal Og who are in danger of immediate loss of livelihood!

In April 2022, the head of the Civil Administration signed an order declaring Nahal Og a nature reserve covering an unprecedented area of approximately 22,000 dunams in the northern Judean Desert. While nature reserves bring important news for the environment, the declaration also has profound implications that far-right organizations have been working to promote for years. About a quarter of the declared area is privately owned by Palestinians, and restrictions will now be imposed on its use. In addition, the reserve will close traditional grazing areas to more than 250 Bedouin shepherds who have lived in the area since before Israel took control of the area.

The Bedouin living in the northern Judean Desert have been herding sheep for centuries in a responsible manner and with deep respect for the environment, so that nature will reward them with many years of life. However, Israel is gradually closing off the grazing areas through the declaration of nature reserves and no-fly zones, or as part of the deliberate expulsion of the shepherds by people from the Jewish settlement. About 50 agricultural farms (most of them illegal) have been established in Area C by far-right organizations with the aim of crowding out the shepherds under the slogan of “minimum people, maximum space.” Nature reserves serve this principle well.

We in the "Friends of the Jahalin" group, who have been accompanying the Jahalin tribe for years, support the Bedouin's request to preserve their desert tradition. Excluding them from their historical living spaces is not only morally wrong, it is also a real harm to the natural ecosystem. Controlled grazing, as the Bedouins do, preserves the environment, ensures renewal, and prevents pests. Consequently, grazing permits have always existed in nature reserves in Israeli territories. Hundreds of years of grazing were partners in creating the value of nature that justified the declaration of the reserve. Nature is not a museum, it is a living place - there are people there, and the reserve is not supposed to protect only stones and plants, but also culture.

In many reserves, it is accepted that populations that benefited from the reserve area prior to its declaration will not be harmed.

We need your help to fund a professional survey of the use of the reserve area on the eve of the declaration to ensure with the authorities that at least the grazing rights of the existing communities will be preserved. In addition, we will produce a short and professional explanatory video on the history of the Bedouins in the northern Judean Desert and their place in the ecosystem.

Help us give a voice to those who have no voice themselves.

For these two goals, we need to raise 35,000 NIS.

Update after fundraising: Through your donation, we were able to begin conducting a comprehensive grazing survey that surveys the area of the reserve.

The River of Og in reference to Bedouin shepherds.

Through this important survey, we hope to achieve justice for the Bedouin shepherds and prevent their future expulsion from the reserve, allowing them to continue to earn a living while maintaining their lifestyle. This week, more field visits and additional mapping will be conducted together with the shepherds.

The survey will include the space in which the reserve is located from the perspective of uses and movement in the space according to the seasons, will bring the Bedouin's perception of space, the natural resources in the space, the desire to preserve natural resources and their role in preserving nature. The uses will be detailed and mapped according to communities and families.

Throughout the seasons, with an emphasis on seasonal activity in the winter and spring months, which communities are these and how many people are they? There will also be a reference to the claim of overgrazing in light of the restrictions imposed on the Bedouins and the deliberate reduction of their space.

We will also review the number of sheep and camels in each group, migration dates in a good/bad year, where the herd is located in the reserve, who is with the herd in the reserve, and more.

At the same time, we will also provide a historical overview of the Bedouin tribes in the region.

A preliminary, non-binding list of the herding communities and the number of sheep they have:

Kurshan - 150, Ghuwaliya -1,100, Abu Dahuk - 350, Ma'azi - 600, Thabna - 600, Ab al-Hilu - 400, Satah al-Bahr - 1,200, Nakhaila - 300.

The survey will be ready around December 2022.

Thank you for your support and for providing the opportunity to continue working for equal rights for the Bedouins.