Negev
Negev
הַנֶּגֶב(Hebrew) | |
---|---|
![]() TheZin Valleyand Nahal Havarim, nearMidreshet Ben-Gurion | |
Coordinates:30°50′N34°45′E/ 30.833°N 34.750°E | |
Part of | Israel |
Native name | הַנֶּגֶב(Hebrew) |
Highest elevation | 1,037 m (3,402 ft) |
TheNegev(/ˈnɛɡɛv/NEG-ev;Hebrew:הַנֶּגֶב,romanized:hanNégev) orNegeb(Arabic:ٱلنَّقَب,romanized:an-Naqab) is adesertandsemidesertregion of southernIsrael.The region's largest city and administrative capital isBeersheba(pop. 214,162), in the north. At its southern end is theGulf of Aqabaand theresort cityand port ofEilat.It contains severaldevelopment towns,includingDimona,Arad,andMitzpe Ramon,as well as a number of smallBedouintowns, includingRahat,Tel Sheva,andLakiya.There are also severalkibbutzim,includingRevivimandSde Boker;the latter became the home of Israel's firstPrime Minister,David Ben-Gurion,after his retirement from politics.
Although historically part of a separate region (known during theRoman periodasArabia Petraea), the Negev was added to the proposed area ofMandatory Palestine,of which large parts later becameIsrael,on 10 July 1922, having been conceded by British representativeSt John Philby"inTrans-Jordan's name ".[a]Despite this, the region remained exclusively Arab until 1946; in response to the BritishMorrison–Grady Planwhich would have allotted the area to an Arab state, theJewish Agencyenacted the11 points in the Negevplan to begin Jewish settlement in the area.[2][3]A year later, theUnited Nations Partition Plan for Palestineallotted a larger part of the area to the Jewish State which became Israel.
The desert is home to theBen-Gurion University of the Negev,whose faculties include theJacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Researchand theAlbert Katz International School for Desert Studies,both located on theMidreshet Ben-Gurioncampus adjacent toSde Boker.
In October 2012, global travel guide publisherLonely Planetrated the Negev second on a list of the world's top ten regional travel destinations for 2013, noting its current transformation through development.[4][5]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/WV_Negev_%26_Southern_Judean_Mountains_%26_southern_Judean_Desert_regions_in_Israel.png/220px-WV_Negev_%26_Southern_Judean_Mountains_%26_southern_Judean_Desert_regions_in_Israel.png)
Etymology
The origin of the wordNegevis from theHebrewroot denoting 'dry'; in theHebrew Bible,the wordNegevis also used for the direction 'south'. Some English-language translations use the spellingNegeb.
The Negev mentioned in theBible(seebelow) consisted only of the northernmost part of the modern Israeli Negev, with thesemiaridArad-BeershebaValley defined as "the eastern (biblical) Negev".[6]
In Arabic, the Negev is known asan-Naqaboran-Naqb('the [mountain] pass'),[7][8]though it was not thought of as a distinct region until the demarcation of the Egypt-Ottoman frontier in the 1890s and has no single Arabic name.[9]
During theBritish Mandate,it was called "Beersheba sub-district".[9]
Geography
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/NachalParan1.jpg/250px-NachalParan1.jpg)
The Negev contains the oldest discovered surface on Earth, with an approximate age of 1.8 million years.[10][11]During thePleistocene,the Negev fluctuated between intervals of relative humidity and intervals of aridity similar to or even more severe than the present day; from around 80,000 to 13,000 yearsBP,during a time interval roughly corresponding to theLast Glacial Period,the Negev was significantly more humid than today.[12]It covers more than half of Israel, over some 13,000 km2(5,000 sq mi), or at least 55% of the country's land area. It forms an inverted triangle shape whose western side is contiguous with the desert of theSinai Peninsula,and whose eastern border is theArabahvalley. The Negev has a number of interesting cultural and geological features. Among the latter are three enormous, craterlikemakhteshim(box canyons), which are unique to the region:Makhtesh Ramon,HaMakhtesh HaGadol,andHaMakhtesh HaKatan.
The Negev is a rocky desert. It is a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted bywadis(dry riverbeds that bloom briefly after rain) and deep craters. It can be split into five different ecological regions: northern, western and central Negev, the high plateau and the Arabah Valley. The northern Negev, orMediterraneanzone, receives 300 mm (12 in) of rain annually and has fairly fertile soils. The western Negev receives 250 mm (9.8 in) of rain per year, with light and partially sandy soils. Sanddunescan reach heights of up to 30 metres (98 ft) here. Home to the city ofBeersheba,the central Negev has an annual precipitation of 200 mm (7.9 in) and is characterized by impervious soil, known asloess,allowing minimum penetration of water with greater soil erosion and water runoff.
The high plateau area ofNegev Mountains/Ramat HaNegev (Hebrew:רמת הנגב,The Negev Heights) stands between 370 metres (1,210 ft) and 520 metres (1,710 ft) above sea level with extreme temperatures in summer and winter. The area gets 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain per year, with inferior and partially salty soils. The Arabah Valley along the Jordanian border stretches 180 km (110 mi) from Eilat in the south to the tip of theDead Seain the north. The Arabah Valley is very arid with barely 50 mm (2.0 in) of rain annually. It has inferior soils, in which little can grow without irrigation and special soil additives.
Flora and fauna
Vegetation in the Negev is sparse, but certain trees and plants thrive there, among themAcacia,Pistacia,Retama,Urginea maritimaandThymelaea.[13]Hyphaene thebaicaor doum palm can be found in the Southern Negev. The Evrona Nature Reserve is the most northerly point in the world where this palm can be found.
A small population ofArabian leopards,an endangered animal in the Arabian peninsula, has survived in the southern Negev but is now likely extinct.[14][15]Othercarnivorafound in the Negev are thecaracal,thestriped hyena,theArabian wolf,thegolden jackaland themarbled polecat.[16]
TheArabahArabian gazellesurvives with a few individuals in the Negev.[17]Thedorcas gazelleis more numerous, with some 1,000–1,500 individuals in the Negev.[16]Some 350 to 500Nubian ibexlive in the Negev Highlands and in theEilat Mountains.[18][19]
TheNegev shrewis a species ofmammalof the familySoricidaethat is found only in Israel.[20]A population of the critically endangeredKleinmann's tortoise(also known as theNegev tortoise) survives in the sands of the western and central Negev Desert.[21]
Animals that were reintroduced after theirextinction in the wildorlocalized extinctionrespectively are theArabian oryxand theAsiatic wild ass,which in the Negev counts about 250 animals.[22]
Like many areas in Israel and the rest of the Middle East, the Negev used to host in the distant past theAsiatic lionand theAsiatic cheetah,right until their complete extinction at the hands of humans in later centuries.[23]
Climate
The Negev region isarid(Eilatreceives on average only 24 mm (0.94 in) of rainfall a year), receiving very little rain due to its location to the east of theSahara(as opposed to the Mediterranean, which lies to the west of Israel), and extreme temperatures due to its location31 degrees north.However the northernmost areas of the Negev, includingBeersheba,aresemi-arid.The usual rainfall total from June through October is zero. Snow and frost are rare in the northern Negev, and snow and frost are unknown in the vicinity of Eilat in the southernmost Negev.[24]
Climate data forBeersheba | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 28.4 (83.1) |
31 (88) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.9 (105.6) |
42.2 (108.0) |
46 (115) |
41.5 (106.7) |
40.5 (104.9) |
41.2 (106.2) |
39.6 (103.3) |
34 (93) |
31.4 (88.5) |
46 (115) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.7 (62.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
29 (84) |
31.3 (88.3) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.3 (88.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
25.7 (78.3) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
8.9 (48.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
13 (55) |
10.2 (50.4) |
3.4 (38.1) |
3 (37) |
−5 (23) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 49.6 (1.95) |
40.4 (1.59) |
30.7 (1.21) |
12.9 (0.51) |
2.7 (0.11) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (0.02) |
5.8 (0.23) |
19.7 (0.78) |
41.9 (1.65) |
204.1 (8.04) |
Average precipitation days | 9.2 | 8 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 41 |
Source: Israel Meteorological Service[25][26] |
Climate data forEilat | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) |
35.8 (96.4) |
38.7 (101.7) |
43.4 (110.1) |
45.2 (113.4) |
47.4 (117.3) |
48.3 (118.9) |
48.0 (118.4) |
45.0 (113.0) |
44.3 (111.7) |
38.1 (100.6) |
33.6 (92.5) |
48.3 (118.9) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
26.1 (79.0) |
31.0 (87.8) |
35.7 (96.3) |
38.9 (102.0) |
40.4 (104.7) |
40.0 (104.0) |
37.3 (99.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
27.7 (81.9) |
23.0 (73.4) |
31.5 (88.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.2 (77.4) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.4 (81.3) |
25.2 (77.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
11.9 (53.4) |
19.4 (66.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
0.9 (33.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
8.4 (47.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.4 (66.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
9.2 (48.6) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.5 (36.5) |
0.9 (33.6) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 4 (0.2) |
3 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4 (0.2) |
2 (0.1) |
5 (0.2) |
24 (1) |
Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 10.5 |
Source:Israel Meteorological Service[27][28][29][30] |
History
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Statue_in_the_Negev_desert_of_Israel.jpg/220px-Statue_in_the_Negev_desert_of_Israel.jpg)
Prehistorical nomads
Nomadic life in the Negev dates back at least 4,000 years[31]and perhaps as much as 7,000 years.[32]
Bronze Age
The first urbanized settlements were established by a combination ofCanaanite,Amalekite,Amorite,NabataeanandEdomitegroupsc. 2000 BCE.[31]PharaonicEgypt is credited with introducing copper mining and smelting in both the Negev and theSinaibetween 1400 and 1300 BCE.[31][33]
Biblical
Extent of biblical Negev
According to Israeli archaeologists, in theHebrew Bible,the term Negev only relates to the northern, semiarid part of what we call Negev today; of this, theArad-BeershebaValley, which receives enough rain as to allow agriculture and thus sedentary occupation (the "desert fringe"), is accordingly defined as" the eastern (biblical) Negev ".[6]
Biblical reference
According to theBook of Genesischapter 13,Abrahamlived for a while in the Negev after being banished from Egypt (Genesis 13:1,3). During theExodus journeyto the Promised Land,Mosessenttwelve scoutsinto the Negev to assess the land and population (Numbers 13:17). Later the northern part of biblical Negev was inhabited by theTribe of Judahand the southern part of biblical Negev by theTribe of Simeon.The Negev was later part of theKingdom of Solomon(in its entirety, all the way to the Red Sea), and then, with varied extension to the south, part of theKingdom of Judah.[34]
Iron Age
In the 9th century BCE, development and expansion of mining in both the Negev andEdom(modern Jordan) coincided with the rise of theAssyrian Empire.[31]Beershebawas the region's capital and a center for trade in the 8th century BCE.[31]Small settlements ofIsraelitesin the areas around the capital existed between 1020 and 928 BCE.[31]
Nabateans and Romans
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Ruins_in_Negev_desert_Israe.jpg/220px-Ruins_in_Negev_desert_Israe.jpg)
The 4th-century BCE arrival of theNabateansresulted in the development of irrigation systems that supported new urban centers located along theNegev incense routeatAvdat(Oboda),Mamshit(Mampsis),Shivta(Sobata),Haluza(Elusa), andNitzana(Nessana).[31][dubious–discuss]This at least was the prevailing theory, until more recent research showed that the earliest form of Nabataean agriculture in the Negev Highlands was only based on spring-water irrigation, with the much more extensive run-off water harvesting techniques using barrages and terraces apparently developing and being used only later, during the 4th-7th centuries CE, after the 3rd-century collapse of long-distance trade.[35]
The Nabateans controlled the trade on the spice route between their capitalPetraand the Gazan seaports. Nabatean currency and the remains of red and orangepotsherds,identified as a trademark of their civilization, have been found along the route, remnants of which are also still visible.[31]Nabatean control of the Negev ended when theRoman empireannexed their lands in 106 CE.[31]The population, largely made up of nomads, venerated deities such asDushara,Allat,and others.[31]
Byzantine heydays: desert agriculture
Byzantinerule in the 4th century introducedChristianityto the population.[31]Agriculture-based cities were established and the population grew exponentially.[31]As shown by the research done byMichael Evenari,novel techniqueswere employed, such asrunoffrainwater collection and management systems, which harvested water from larger areas and directed it onto smaller plots.[36]This allowed the cultivation of plants with much higher water needs than the given arid environment could provide for.[36]Evenari researched the ancient mechanisms, rediscovered the ratio of water collection area to cultivation area, and explained the various ancient techniques ofland amelioration,such aswaditerracingandflash-flooddams, and the features used for collecting and directing runoff water.[36]He thought that the creators of this elaborate systems had been theNabataeans,[36]a theory proven wrong by more recent studies, which dated the massive agricultural and demographic growth in the area to theByzantine period.[37]The older explanation for theTuleilat el-Anab,lit. 'grape mounds' phenomenon, has also been discarded: these large piles of rocks probably served two purposes, of removing the rocks from the cultivated plots, and of accelerating the erosion and water transportation oftopsoilfrom the runoff collection area onto those plots.[38]
Along with Avdat (Oboda), Mamshit (Mampsis), Shivta (Sobata), Haluza (Elusa), and Nitzana (Nessana), the settlements atRehovot-in-the-Negev/Ruheibeh (the second largest by population of the Byzantine-era "Negev towns"[39]) andSaadonare also significant for this period.[40][41]
Decline; causes
A massive rise in grape production in the northwestern Negev for the needs of the wine industry was noted for the early 6th century, documented by studying ancient trash mounds at Shivta,ElusaandNessana.[37]There is a sharp peak in the presence of grape pips and broken "Gaza jars"used to export wine and otherLevantinegoods from theport of Gaza(see "Gaza wine"), after a slower rise during the fourth and fifth centuries, and followed in the mid-6th century by a sudden fall.[37]It's when two major calamities strike theByzantine Empireand large parts of the world: theLate Antique Little Ice Age(536-545), caused by huge volcanic eruptions in the world, with the resultingextreme weather events of 535–536;and in the 540s the first outbreak ofbubonic plaguein theOld World,known as theJustinianic Plague.[37]It seems likely that these two events resulted in almost a cessasion of the international trade with luxury goods such as Gaza wine, grape production in the Negev settlements again giving way to subsistence farming, focused onbarleyandwheat.[37]Repeated earthquakes hit the region during the Byzantine period, with numerous revetment walls added to buildings to support them against collapse; a large 7th-century seismic event though led to the abandonement of Avdat and Rehovot-in-the-Negev.[39][40]
This recent analysis of newly obtained data has proven the previously widely accepted theory to be wrong, namely that theMuslim conquest,which came a century after these events, and specifically theMuslim ban on alcoholic beverages,was the cause for the decline of the wine industry in the Negev.[37]In Nessana, the number of grape pips is even seen to rise again during theEarly Islamic period,probably due to theneedsof a local Christian monastery.[37]
This disappearance of the wine industry from the semiarid northern Negev shows that it was technically possible to sustain it over centuries, but that the grapemonoculturewas economically unsustainable in the long run[37]due to its dependence on empire-wide trading networks, which required stability and prosperity over a vast territory.
Early-mid Islamic empires
The southern Negev saw a flourishing of economic activity during the 8th to 10th or 11th centuries.[42]Six Islamic settlements have been found in the vicinity of modernEilat,along with copper and gold mines and stone quarries, and a sophisticated irrigation system and road network.[42]The economic center was the port of Ayla (Aqaba).[42]
10th–19th century Bedouins
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Palmer_map_of_Northern_Sinai_and_the_Negev_%28with_modern_borders_overlaid%29.jpg/220px-Palmer_map_of_Northern_Sinai_and_the_Negev_%28with_modern_borders_overlaid%29.jpg)
Nomadic tribes ruled the Negev largely independently and with a relative lack of interference for the next thousand years.[31]What is known of this time is largely derived from oral histories and folk tales of tribes from theWadi Musaand Petra areas in present-dayJordan.[31]The Bedouins of the Negev historically survived chiefly on sheep and goat husbandry. Scarcity of water and of permanent pastoral land required them to move constantly. The Bedouin in years past established few permanent settlements, although some were built, leaving behind remnants of stone houses called 'baika.'[32]
Late Ottoman period (1900–1917)
In 1900, theOttoman Empireestablished an administrative center for southernSyriaat Beersheba including schools and a railway station.[31]The authority of the tribal chiefs over the region was recognized by the Ottomans.[31]A railroad connected it to the port ofRafah.In 1914, the Ottoman authorities estimated the nomadic population at 55,000.[43]
British Mandate
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Possible_Redistribution_of_Ottoman_and_Arabian_Territory_on_the_Principle_of_Self-Determination_November_1918.png/220px-Possible_Redistribution_of_Ottoman_and_Arabian_Territory_on_the_Principle_of_Self-Determination_November_1918.png)
The 1916Sykes-Picot Agreementbetween Britain and France placed the Negev in Area B, "Arab state or states" under British patronage.[45]The Negev was taken from the Ottoman army by British forces during 1917 and became part ofMandatory Palestine.
In 1922, the Bedouin component of the population was estimated at 72,898 out of a total of 75,254 for the Beersheba sub-district.[43]The 1931 census estimated that the population of the Beersheba sub-district was 51,082.[46]This large decrease was considered to be an artifact of incorrect enumeration methods used in 1922.[43]An Arabic history of tribes around Beersheba, published in 1934 records 23 tribal groups.[47]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/PikiWiki_Israel_43466_Rahat.jpg/220px-PikiWiki_Israel_43466_Rahat.jpg)
State of Israel
Most of the Negev was earmarked by the November 1947 UN Partition Plan for the future Jewish state. During the 1947–49 War of Independence, Israel secured its sovereignty over the Negev. In the early years of the state, it absorbed many of theJewish refugees from Arab countries,with the Israeli government setting up manydevelopment towns,such asArad,SderotandNetivot.Since then, the Negev has also become home to many of theIsrael Defense Forces' major bases – a process accelerating in the past two decades.
Demography
As of 2010, the Negev was home to some 630,000 people, or 8.2% ofIsrael's population, even though it comprises over 55% of the country's area. 470,000 Negev residents (75% of the population) areJews,while 160,000 or 25% are Bedouin.[48]Of the Bedouin population (a demographic with a semi-nomadic tradition), half live inunrecognized villages,and half live in towns built for them by the Israeli government between the 1960s and 1980s; the largest of these isRahat.
The population of the Negev is expected to reach 1.2 million by 2025.[citation needed]It was projected that theBeershebametropolitan area would reach a population of 1 million by 2020, andArad,Yeruham,andDimonawould triple in size by 2025.[49][50]
Bedouin
A large part of the NegevBedouinsinhabit small communities or villages. Israel has refused to recognize certain Bedouin villages that were founded after the establishment of the state. Under Israel's 2011-adopted and enacted Begin-Prawer plan – officially theBill on the Arrangement of Bedouin Settlement in the Negev– some Bedouins are being moved to newly created townships. Bedouin villages established after the state without proper approvals are illegal under Israeli law. They are consequently destroyed or threatened with destruction.[51][52]An Israeli court ruling in 2017 forced six residents to pay the cost of eight rounds of demolition to the state.[53]
Economy and housing
Development plans
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Blueprint_Negev_planned_community.jpg/220px-Blueprint_Negev_planned_community.jpg)
Blueprint Negevis aJewish National Fundproject introduced in 2005. The $600 million project hopes to attract 500,000 new Jewish residents to the Negev by improving transportation infrastructure, establishing businesses, developing water resources and introducing programs to protect the environment.[54]A planned artificial desert river, swimming pools and golf courses raised concerns among environmentalists.[55][56]Critics oppose those plans, calling instead for an inclusive plan for the green vitalization of existing population centers, investment in Bedouin villages, clean-up of toxic industries and development of job options for the unemployed.[57][58][59] [60]
A majorIsrael Defense Forcestraining base is being constructed in the Negev to accommodate 10,000 army personnel and 2,500 civilian staff. Three more bases will be built by 2020 as part of a plan to vacate land and buildings in Tel Aviv and central Israel, and bring jobs and investment to the south.[61]
Solar power
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Solar_troughs_in_the_Negev_desert_of_Israel.jpg/220px-Solar_troughs_in_the_Negev_desert_of_Israel.jpg)
The Negev Desert and the surrounding area, including theArava Valley,are the sunniest parts of Israel and little of this land isarable,which is why it has become the center of the Israeli solar industry.[62]David Faiman,an expert on solar energy, feels the energy needs of Israel's future could be met by building solar energy plants in the Negev. As director ofBen-Gurion National Solar Energy Center,he operates one of the largest solar dishes in the world.[63]Technically, however, the Arava is a separate desert with its own unique climate and ecology.
A 250 MW solar park inAshalim,an area in the northern Negev, theAshalim Power Station,produces 121 Megawatts of power, using solar mirrors and thermal water heating. It is currently the largest in Israel.
The Rotem Industrial Complex outside ofDimona, Israel,has dozens of solar mirrors that focus the sun's rays on a tower that in turn heats a water boiler to create steam, turning a turbine to create electricity. Luz II, Ltd., plans to use the solar array to test new technology for the three new solar plants to be built in California forPacific Gas and Electric Company.[64][65][66]
Wineries
Vines have been planted in the Negev since ancient times. In modern times, vineyards have been established in the northern Negev hills using innovative computerized watering methods for irrigation.Carmel Winerywas the first of the major wineries to plant vineyards in the Negev and operates a boutique winery at RamatArad.Tishbi has vineyards atSde Bokerand Barkan grows its grapes inMitzpe Ramon.[67]Yatir Wineryis a winery inTel Arad.Its vineyards are on a hill 900 meters above sea level on the outskirts ofYatir Forest.[68]Carmey Avdat is Israel's first solar-powered winery.[69]
Environmental issues
![]() | This section needs to beupdated.(January 2019) |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Midreshet_Ben_Gurion.jpg/220px-Midreshet_Ben_Gurion.jpg)
The Negev is home to hazardous infrastructures that includeNegev Nuclear Research Centernuclear reactor,22 agrochemical and petrochemical factories, an oil terminal, closed military zones, quarries, a toxic waste incinerator atNe'ot Hovav,cell towers, a power plant, several airports, a prison, and two rivers of open sewage.[70]
In 2005, the Tel Aviv municipality was accused of dumping waste in the Negev at theDudaim dump .[71]The Manufacturers Association of Israel established an authority in 2005 to move 60 industrial enterprises active in the Tel Aviv region to the Negev.[72]
In 1979, theRamat Hovavtoxic waste facility was established inWadi el-Na'ambecause the area was perceived as invulnerable to leakage. However, within a decade, cracks were found in the rock beneath Ramat Hovav.[70]In 2004, the Israeli Ministry of Health releasedBen Gurion Universityresearch findings describing the health problems in a 20 km (12 mi) vicinity of Ramat Hovav. The study, funded in large part by Ramat Hovav, found higher rates of cancer and mortality for the 350,000 people in the area. Prematurely released to the media by an unknown source, the preliminary study was publicly discredited;[73]However, its final conclusions – that Bedouin and Jewish residents near Ramat Hovav are significantly more susceptible than the rest of the population to miscarriages, severe birth defects, and respiratory diseases – passed a peer review several months later.[74]
See also
Explanatory notes
- ^Biger described this meeting as follows: "Sovereignty over the Arava, from the south of theDead Seato Aqaba, was also discussed. Philby agreed, in Trans-Jordan's name, to give up the western bank of Wadi Arava (and thus all of the Negev area). Nevertheless, a precise borderline was still not determined along the territories of Palestine and Trans-Jordan. Philby's relinquishment of the Negev was necessary, because the future of this area was uncertain. In a discussion regarding the southern boundary, the Egyptian aspiration to acquire the Negev area was presented. On the other hand the southern part of Palestine belonged, according to one of the versions, to the sanjak (district) of Ma'an within the vilayet (province) of Hejaz. King Hussein of Hijaz demanded to receive this area after claiming that a transfer action, to add it to the vilayet ofSyria(A-Sham) was supposed to be done in 1908. It is not clear whether this action was completed. Philby claimed that Emir Abdullah had his father's permission to negotiate over the future of the sanjak of Ma'an, which was actually ruled by him, and that he could therefore 'afford to concede' the area west of the Arava in favour of Palestine. This concession was made following British pressure and against the background of the demands of the Zionist Organization for direct contact between Palestine and the Red Sea. It led to the inclusion of the Negev triangle in Palestine's territory, although this area was not considered as part of the country in the many centuries that preceded the British occupation. "[1]
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