The Right to Social Services for Palestinian Bedouin in the Unrecognized Villages in the Naqab.

HCJ 5838/99, Regional Council of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, et. al. v. Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, et. al.

Petitioned the Court in 8/99 on behalf of seven organizations against the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare and the government-appointed head of the Segev Shalom local council demanding that welfare services, completely stopped due to budgetary constraints, be resumed immediately to 60,000 Palestinian Bedouin residents of the unrecognized villages and that the number of social service providers be increased in appropriate proportion to the needs of the population.

Result: After filing the petition, services restored. In 9/00, the Court accepted the state's commitment to add 11 positions for social workers over two years. Even with this promise, Palestinian Bedouin living in the unrecognized villages in the Naqab will receive only one social service provider for 2,291 people, as compared with Jewish localities in the Naqab with a better socio-economic status, which receive one SSP for 641 people.

(H.C. 5838/99, Regional Council of the Unrecognized Villages in the Negev, et. al. v. Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, et. al.)