UN Forum on Minority Issue s Geneva, 14-15 December 2010 Writte n submission by Mohamme d al Korshan, re pre se ntative of the We st Bank Be douin *** Introduction: I represent the Bedouin community in the West Bank, We are an original indigenous population which was displaced from our tribal lands in the Negev desert in 1948 when the State of Israel was established. Today there are 40,000 Bedouin in the West Bank, living here as refugees since 1948. From that time we have become a minority group which is continuously exposed to the threat of forced displacement and discrimination. Our traditional livelihood is pastoralism. We are an isolated minority group in an occupied territory. We are no longer allowed to visit our relatives in the Negev. We are refugees belonging to a distinct ethnic group. The reality is that we live as a 'double minority' as both refugees and Bedouin, living in an area of the occupied West Bank which is trapped between the policies of the Occupying power and the Palestinian Authority. Our situation has significantly hampered our ability to exercise a broad range of rights, We face discrimination and are prevented from enjoying the minimum requirements of a dignified life. Today there are approximately 5000 Bedouin families living in the West Bank, 2000 of these are living in United Nations refugee camps and Palestinian villages, and 3000 of whom live in an area called 'Area C' where they are struggling to maintain their traditional lifestyle. (What is Area C?) As a result of the Oslo agreement between the government of Israel and the Palestinians during the 1990's, Area C makes up approximately 60% of the West Bank and is under the full military and administrative control of Israel (while Area A and B are respectively fully and partially controlled by the Palestinian Authority). All residents of Area C are subject to regulations imposed by the Israeli authorities and are isolated from the majority of the Palestinian population. Israel controls the land and natural resources in Area C. The rangeland and water that we depend on for our livestock has now become fragmented by the establishment of closed military areas, Israeli settlements, nature reserves, check points and the West Bank Barrier. One permit system controls the movement of people, vehicles and livestock and another permit system controls our ability to build even the simplest of structures. Homes and animal shelters are demolished by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on a regular basis whilst Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, continue to expand in the same areas. These movement restrictions and the constant threat of displacement have