For years, the Israeli government chose to ignore the situation in the Negev. Because it is too far, because it does not want to interfere and because it does not really have a solution.
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There is a popular children's book, There's No Such Thing as a Dragon, that tells the story of Billy Bixbee, who one day finds a tiny dragon in his bedroom. What was his mom's response when he told her? "There's no such thing as a dragon!" And while she kept insisting, the dragon grew larger and larger until the family could no longer live in their home.
So when the Israeli government says, "Lawlessness in the Bedouin sector? There is no such thing!" it allows this "dragon" to grow. And when the dragon realized that no one stood in its way, it started to do what it wanted wherever it wanted.
It stole ammunition from military bases, shot from guns on highways, threw stones, stole from nearby cities, burned, smashed, as well as harassed young women in malls and streets. The dragon has become the sole sovereign, making everyone's life around miserable.
Back when the dragon just appeared, it should have been petted and told, "Dear, this is not the way to behave. You cannot build wherever you chose. You need permits," and if the dragon built a house anyways, it should have been demolished. Just like that. The same way they do with Jews.
We are not a racist country, right? Our laws apply to every citizen. Had the government done that, it wouldn't have been easy, but much less so than it would be now.
And here we stand stupefied, without knowing what to do, because the stolen IDF tanks in the Beduin city of Rahat do not reflect well on us, and will certainly not be accepted by the current government, but maybe that is what we need.
After all the warnings and the "I-told-you-sos," we are left with too many unruly and lawless Bedouins, and it is no consolation that we were right. The truth is, it will not help even if we double police presence in the area or even triple. The dragon has gotten big, strong, and confident.
To restore our standing in their eyes, which will also restore law and peace, Israel must become assertive. It has to do it once, but with such intensity that even the most stubborn will understand.
What exactly must it do? Everything, and without batting an eye. For example, demolish houses that were built illegally, and then, once not a single block, balcony, or tent remains without a permit, chances are lawlessness in the Bedouin sector will decline.
Because unity and harmony that we so seek can only exist when the tribes understand that Israel is a country governed by law.
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