Approximately 100.000 Palestinian Citizens of Israel (10 % of the Palestinian population) reside in villages which have been deemed "illegal" by the State and therefore cannot be found in any map, have no local council or government representation, and receive no government services. These villages are known as "unrecognized villages".

The struggle for recognition

Residents of the unrecognized villages, 70.000 people in the Negev and 30.000 in the North, struggle to survive as citizens of a state that denies them their most basic rights and needs. There are 45 unrecognized villages in the Negev and 9 in the North. There are also tens of neighborhoods in both the North and the South which need to be adjoined to already existing villages. Most of these communities existed prior to 1948.

Due to the efforts of the Arab non-governmental sector, recognition has been officially achieved for the 9 previously unrecognized villages in the North. This "achievement", however, has been in name only - the State has not provided the infrastructure and services which are the indication of true recognition.

Legal Basis for Discrimination

In 1965, the Israeli Knesset passed the Planning and Construction Law, a national Master Plan for future development. Dozens of Palestinian villages were denied official recognition by this law and therefore excluded from development planning schemes. The land on which the villages lie was re-classified as non-residential agricultural land. Overnight, all buildings in the unrecognized villages became retro-actively "illegal" and "unlicensed" and were therefore subject at any moment to demolition. At the same time, planning authorities were given the right to plan current or future projects on these "non-residential" lands which were homes to so many. Jewish settlements have been established on the same "agricultural lands" near many of the unrecognized villages: the growth of these settlements has been encouraged, not disturbed by the State.

It is widely recognized that the goal of the State is to de-populate the unrecognized villages and transfer the residents from their homes to government-established "concentration towns", enabling the government to confiscate the residents' lands.

What does it mean to live in an Unrecognized Village?

• The denial of government services to the unrecognized villages affects nearly every aspect of life. Some of the challenges faced by residents include:
• No running water;
• No connection to a sewage network
  
• No health services
  
• No refuse collection services
  
• No connection to the electricity network
  
• No safe access roads to connect the often remote villages to main transportation system
  
• No postal services or connection to the telephone network
  
• No adequate education facilities (Only 10 primary schools exist throughout all of the unrecognized villages; students are forced to travel long distances to get to school, a factor which contributes to the high drop-out rate amongst residents of unrecognized villages.)
  

As the government allows no physical infrastructure development in unrecognized villages, residents cannot build or repair homes, roads, educational or health facilities, or sewage systems. Those who do build on their own property live in constant fear of eviction, afraid that their "illegal" homes will be demolished. This fear prevents many residents of unrecognized villages from expanding existing homes or building new ones. Very high population density is the inevitable result; often more than one family lives in a single household, usually crowded into homes with few or no modern conveniences.