The Right to Shelter

Approximately half of the Negev Bedouin population reside in informal settlements known as unrecognized villages where residents do not have sheltered spaces within their homes or public bomb shelters within an accessible distance. These informal settlements contrast with the Bedouin townships where construction is regulated, and residential buildings are required to provide sheltered spaces. Since the war's outbreak, both formal and informal efforts have aimed to construct bomb shelters for the widely dispersed Bedouin communities living in unrecognized villages with a dangerous lack of shelter. However, identifying optimal locations has been challenging due to the absence of formal data on population distribution and density, as well as the condition and location of local roads.