Israel Incites against Negev Bedouins' Birthrate

Israeli policemen stand guard as bulldozers demolish homes in the Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran. (AFP)
Israeli policemen stand guard as bulldozers demolish homes in the Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran. (AFP)
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Israel Incites against Negev Bedouins' Birthrate

Israeli policemen stand guard as bulldozers demolish homes in the Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran. (AFP)
Israeli policemen stand guard as bulldozers demolish homes in the Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran. (AFP)

Far-right Israeli MP and former Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized on Saturday the high birthrate among the Bedouin community in the Negev region, describing it as a “demographic time bomb”.

In remarks seen as direct incitement against the community, he claimed that the birthrate is a ticking time bomb that must be defused before it blows up.

The community boasts some 200,000 people, and “they are doubling every 12 years,” he added.

Israel must take action to curb this trend, he suggested.

“The more Western you make them, the more the birthrate will come down,” alleged Smotrich, saying he was keen on preserving the Jewish majority not just for the sake of Israel, but the Negev.

He added that Israel should not intervene to alter the birthrate, because change will come on its own if the Bedouins join cities and become part of organized societies and if they become better educated and obtain jobs.

Smotrich’s remarks prompted a response from Arab MP Ahmed al-Tibi, who tweeted in German that the former minister had just months ago described settlers who carry bombs as children and the Bedouin children as a demographic time bomb.

He slammed such racist remarks a week after Israeli forces killed Palestinian Iyad al-Hallak in Jerusalem, “for no other crime than being a Palestinian Arab.”

Israel is seeking to impose its control over the Negev and expel its Bedouin residents. Last year, the government proposed a plan to relocate some 36,000 Arab Bedouins to villages and towns that are not recognized by Israeli authorities.

The Bedouins vehemently rejected the plan, but that has not deterred Israel, which is seeking to claim their 260,000 dunams of land.



Egypt Seeking to Activate its Strategic Partnership with Europe

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
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Egypt Seeking to Activate its Strategic Partnership with Europe

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty kicked off on Sunday a visit to Brussels and Strasbourg for talks with European officials aimed at following up on activating the strategic partnership between Cairo and the European Union.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that meetings during his first stop in Brussels aim to bolster cooperation with the EU. The FM is scheduled to hold talks with senior European officials, including head of the European Council and chief of foreign policy.

He will also meet with heads of major Belgian companies and members of the Egyptian diaspora.

Egypt and Europe are keen on strengthening and developing their relations to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership,” as announced during a summit in Cairo in March that was attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, head of the European Commission, and the presidents and prime ministers of Cyprus, Italy, Austria and Greece.

In Strasbourg, the home of the European Parliament, Abdelatty will meet with its speaker and heads of various parliamentary political groups and committees concerned with following up on the development of ties between Egypt and EU, added the Foreign Ministry statement.

Former Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of the timing of the visit given the developments in the region and the success of international mediation, including Egypt’s, in reaching a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.

Egypt is hoping the EU would pressure Israel to forge ahead with peace and implement the two-state solution to support stability in the region, he added.

Egypt is also hoping to boost coordination with Europe over developments in the Horn of Africa, Red Sea and other regions, as well as in counterterrorism and in deepening bilateral ties, especially in the economy and investment, he continued.