The Goldberg Commission, chaired by Eliezer Goldberg, was set up by the Israeli government in late 2007 to end the long-running land disputes between the state and Bedouin living in the Negev.
Eliezer Goldberg is a former Israeli Supreme Court judge, and former State Comptroller of Israel.
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's economic and technological center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem has only partial recognition.
The Negev Bedouin are traditionally pastoral nomadic Arab tribes (Bedouin) living in the Negev region of Israel. The Bedouin tribes adhere to Islam.
The Commission issued its report on 20 November 2011. It recommended that most of the 46 unrecognized villages east of Route 40 should be recognized on condition that they did not interfere with Israel's development plans in the area. It also recommended that most of the 50,000 illegally built structures in these villages should be legalized and that a committee be set up to hear and settle Bedouin claims relating to traditional land ownership.
Unrecognized Bedouin villages in Israel are rural Bedouin communities in the Negev and the Galilee which the Israeli government does not recognize as legal. Often they are referred to as "unrecognized villages".
Highway 40 is a north-south intercity road in Israel. At 302 km long, it is the second longest highway in Israel, after Highway 90. The highway runs from Kfar Saba in the center of Israel to the Arabah in the south, serving as a main connection between central Israel and Be'er Sheva.
The Commissions report was regarded as progressive by advocates for Bedouin rights in Israel. [1]
In 2011 a second commission, the Prawer Commission, reported on how the Goldberg proposals could be implemented. The Prawer plan involves the transfer of 30,000 villagers to government townships.
The Prawer Commission was set up to implement the recommendations of the Goldberg Commission on resolving outstanding land issues between the Negev Bedouin and the State of Israel. Chaired by Ehud Prawer, Benjamin Netanyahu's director of planning, it published its recommendations on 2 June 2011.
Township refers to various kinds of settlements in different countries.
