Umm al-Hiran

During and following the 1948 war and the establishment of the state of Israel, a large number of Bedouin tribes were displaced, including the Abu Alkian tribe. They were corralled into an area known as Siyag to the northeast of Beersheba, which was designated a closed military zone, barring Bedouins from accessing their original land.[1] In 1956, the tribe approached the military administration and was transferred to the Wadi Atir area, where they received 7,000 dunams of land near the wadi. There, they settled in two villages Umm al-Hiran and Atir.[2] From this point onwards, they built houses from stone and other materials, paved roads, built wells and farmed the surrounding land. Sheikh Farhoud Abu al Qi'an argued that before their arrival "It was a desert, with no roads, water, houses or services".

In 2001, the Israel Land Authority described its residents as a "special obstacle" in its recommendations. In 2003, there was a state motion to the Magistrates’ Court in Beersheba for the demolition of the village ex parte, without informing the landowners; the state claimed that it was unable to identify or reach the inhabitants.[3] In 2004, the state filed lawsuits in 2004 to evacuate the villagers on the basis that they were trespassers who were squatting illegally. The court ruled that the legal status of the residents was as "permanent residents", but at the same time concluded that because the land was held from the state free of charge, their residency could be revoked at any time. The Prime Minister's Office had also previously blocked a plan to recognise the neighbouring village of Atir, which shares land with Umm al-Hiran, requesting instead that the plan did not clash with the proposal to establish a Jewish town.

The proposal would relocate the Bedouins of Umm al-Hiran to the Bedouin township of Hura, one of seven Bedouin townships, all of which are at the bottom of the country's socio-economic index. These townships are specifically designated towns intended to "contain" expelled Bedouins. They are characterised by being overcrowded, lacking in adequate services and having the highest percentage of unemployment and poverty in Israel.[4]

The authorities are supported by key NGOs, including the Or Movement, which works to promote the construction of Hiran. Opposition to the plan to forcibly evict and demolish the village of Umm al-Hiran has come from both non-governmental organisations and left-leaning MKs. Arab MKs have requested an overall solution to the Arab and Bedouin housing problem in Israel, including a freeze on all pending demolition and eviction orders. Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Joint List, made the housing crisis and treatment of Bedouins his party's top priority following the March 2015 elections. Other MKs have also come out in opposition to the plan, including MK Tamar Zandberg from Meretz, who argued "How will we be able to explain how we razed a village… just because the people belong to a different ethnic or religious group?" Adalah launched a public campaign entitled "#save_UmmAlHiran", in order to "stop Israel's plan to demolish an Arab Bedouin village in order to build a Jewish town over its ruins". The Regional Council of the Unrecognised Villages has also been active in campaigning to stop the destruction of the village, arguing the plan amounts to an "ethnic cleansing" campaign.

Before dawn on January 18, 2017 when Israeli police officers and a Green Patrol of the Israel Land Authority arrived at the village to demolish homes. They were met by a large group of protesters. A villager, the 47-year-old school teacher Yacoub Abu Al-Qia’an, was shot by police while driving away from the scene, and his car subsequently careened into a group of police, ramming and killing an officer. Abu Al-Qia'an was left unattended and bled to death. In the immediate aftermath, several Israeli politicians and police officials falsely accused Abu Al-Qia'an of having been a terrorist affiliated with the Islamic State. In 2020, his name was cleared as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others apologized for making him out to be a terrorist. The police and the State Prosecutor were faulted for covering up evidence that would have cleared Abu Al-Qia’an's name sooner, among other things.[8]

The village is named after the Hiran Valley that passes near the village, as well as the adjacent Hiran mountain.

Umm al-Hiran-Atir is located in the Wadi Atir area of the Negev desert, eight kilometres north-east of the Bedouin township of Hura. It is part of the same valley as Susiya, a Palestinian village in the West Bank at risk of demolition.

In 2015 the population of the village was just over 1,000, having grown from around 200 in 1956 when it was established.[9] The community of Umm al-Hiran is part of the Abu al Qi'an tribe, originally from Khirbet Zubaleh and belong to the Sunni branch of Islam.

Residents work primarily in two industries; construction (specifically in paving roads) and as manpower contractors, cleaning hospitals and working in factories.

The children of Umm al-Hiran attend school in Hura.