Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, this afternoon, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, visited the Abu Basma Regional Council and met with council members and Bedouin community notables, who thanked him for the development of communities in the Council area during his term in office and for the Goldberg Committee, which is considering the issue of Bedouin lands.
Prime Minister Olmert was accompanied by Prime Minister's Office Director-General Ra'anan Dinur, Abu Basma Regional Council Chairman Amram Kalaji, Rahat Mayor Fayez Abu Sahiban, Kseifa Mayor Salam Abu Rabia, Tel Sheva Mayor Musa Abu Isa, Hura Mayor Muhammad Al-Nabari, Segev Shalom Mayor Amar Abu Muamar, Lakiye Mayor Khaled Al-Sanaa and Aroer Mayor Itzik Shalom.
Prime Minister Olmert said: "I think that there have been many mistakes over the years in the state's relations to its Bedouin residents. I have told you this previously and this is what led me to establish the Goldberg Committee. You are an inseparable part of the State of Israel. You stand on the first line of its defense and we need to find the correct way to live together.
It is very important that you be part of the committee that is now considering solutions to the land issue and I ask you to consider its recommendations, when they are submitted, out of a genuine desire to live together in the Negev, which will benefit you as well.
I extend Eid al-Adha greetings to all of you. May its joy herald hope for the future."
In November of last year, the Government appointed a public committee, chaired by retired Judge Eliezer Goldberg, to consider the issues of Bedouin lands and unrecognized communities. It will present its conclusions to Housing and Construction Minister Zeev Boim on Thursday, 11.12.08.