We left the Palestinian refugee camp this morning to head out to the Negev Desert and learn about the problems facing the indigenous people of the area "The Bedouin".

We'll have more on that in a few minutes...

Some thoughts on the camp first though...

Scenes of the Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine
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What I saw and experienced in addition to the obvious poverty and oppression that I expected to see, was angry (and damaged) young men and those young men are in leadership positions.

I think it's both a blessing and a curse.

Scenes of the Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine
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Of course in a society where some 60% of the people are under 18 you'd expect to see lots of young folks and lots of young men and because of their numbers some of them would find themselves (whether they wanted to be or not) in positions of leadership.

And with everything that has happened and continues to happen in this shattered land including the fact that in many ways the older generation of Palestinian leadership has failed these young people, it's no wonder they are angry and frustrated.

Including being angry at and frustrated with the endless parade of foreign nationals that come to visit them in many cases like they are animals in a zoo.

Scenes of the Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine
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The emotional and psychological damage that has been done to these people is deep and will take generations to heal if and when that healing ever actually begins.

And as I said before it's not just the Palestinians that are being destroyed by what's happening here!

Israeli society is suffering as well!

Scenes of the Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine
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Scenes of the Dheisheh refugee camp in Palestine
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The other thing that struck me regarding the camp and at least some (but my guess is that it's most..) is that I think there is a real culture of victim-hood and that many of the "refugees" see themselves as exactly that "refugees." They have built their identities up around that and have created within themselves a sense of special status.

I'm not sure that many of these angry young men would know what to do with themselves if the situation ever really changed. If you know what I mean, then you know what I mean. If you don't, I think it would take to long to try an explain it.

As I said we made our way out to the Negev Desert today to see the situation faced by the Bedouin.

Scenes of the "unrecognized" Bedouin village known as "Wadi Na'am."
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Scenes of the "unrecognized" Bedouin village known as "Wadi Na'am."
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There are many "unrecognized" villages where these semi-nomadic people live today, however the pressures of modern society and Israeli law is forcing these people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years into smaller and smaller areas and from their semi-nomadic culture into "recognized" villages.

The other part of this story is that Israel is forcing these people into areas that are dominated by petrochemical and electrical plants as well as what is becoming the country's toxic waste dump.

In the US we call it environmental racism.

In The Negev they call it...

Environmental Racism too!

Here is a look at a couple of the industrial plants that the Bedouin live near.

A couple of the petrochemical and electrical plants that the Bedouin live near.
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We went to visit Hajj Ibrahim Abu Afash, the Sheik of the "unrecognized" Bedouin village known as "Wadi Na'am." Click here to listen to what he had to tell us as we met over Bedouin coffee and chai in the Sheik's meeting tent in the middle of the village (our guide "Said" translates).

Hajj Ibrahim Abu Afash, the Sheik of the "unrecognized" Bedouin village known as "Wadi Na'am."
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Bedouin coffee and chai in the Sheik's meeting tent
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In the Negev with the Bedouin
I'm Mike Thornton