Part of the Tanzimat reforms enacted by the Ottoman Empire. This law divided land ownership into 5 strata. The first two categories were privately owned, and constituted very little of land in Palestine. [Mulk] Land in complete private ownership. [Waqf] Land dedicated to a religious purpose The other three were owned by the Empire. [Miri] Land where temporary rights were granted for the purpose of cultivation. [Matruk] Land intended for public benefit, like roads or grazing land. [Mawat] Literally meaning "Dead Land", Matruk land was unused or undeveloped. In the Negev/Naqab Bedouin tribes held claim to large tracts of cultivatable and non-cultivatable land.
Following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I, Ottomon rule in Palestine ended.
The British begin their "custodial" control of Palestine and Trans Jordan.
A law enacted by the British which required those with Mawat ownership over the land to register that claim with the state. If someone didn't register that land in two months, the land would become state land.
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish, Israel, and one Arab, Palestine. The vast majority of the Negev/Naqab was partitioned to be a part of the Jewish State
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister declared the independence of the State of Israel. At this time, only 13.5% of Israeli territory was publicly owned.
War fought between Israel and Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. In the Israeli narrative, it is called the War of Independence. In the Palestinian narrative it is called the Nakba, or catastrophe.
The Bedouins left in the Negev/Naqab were transfered to the Siyag (Fence in Arabic), an enclosed area in the northern Negev.
Over 50,000 Negev/Naqab Bedouin were expelled or fled out of the boundaries of the Armistice agreement, leaving only 11,000 in Israel.
Throughout the 1950s, the state registered most land of the Negev/Naqab under State Land (including most of the Siyag, where Bedouins still lived.)
A government committee recommends the establishment of permanent Bedouin townships in 7,600 dunams in the Siyag.
Law enacted that required zoning plans and permit for specific land in order to justify housing structures. The existing Bedouin villages were excluded as legal settlements, and issued zoning plans in Bedouin areas didn't allow construction.
A war lasting six days breaks out between Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. Israel captures the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank.
Tel Sheva, a state planned Bedouin Township developed
Rahat a state planned Bedouin Township developed
Committee establishes that Bedouin cannot claim ownership rights in the Siyag area, and thus all lands are state land.
Segev Shalom, a state planned Bedouin Township developed
Facilitated the dispossession of 5,000 Bedouin from their lands for the construction of an army base in return for compensation.
25 Sheikhs propose that the State recognize Bedouin ownership of 40% that Bedouin presently inhabit, and the state compensate at a rate of $10,000 per dunam for already expropriated lands
Over 45 leaders from unrecognized Bedouin villages across the Negev/Naqab created the Regional Council of Unrecognized Bedouin Villages to create a political voice for their communities.
Residents of unrecognized Bedouin villages petition the High Court to be included in the southern districts master plan.
Authority and Public Committee on Resolving the Bedouin Settlement in the Negev or the Goldberg Committee was established to centralize Bedouin land and housing issues under one authority.
Unrecognized Bedouin Village of Al-Arakib destroyed by Israel Land Administration. Land to be used for Jewish National Fund forest.
The Israeli government issues the Prawer Report, which creates a land compensation regime in order to force unrecognized Bedouin to give up their land claims.
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