Social Media New and Old in the Al-’Arakeeb Conflict: A Case Study

Abstract

This article on the civic struggles of residents of the demolished Bedouin village of Al-’Arakeeb in Israel demonstrates how social media have helped marginalized communities acquire a voice. It is based on site visits to the village over the course of a year beginning in July 2010, and on interviews with residents, Bedouin and Jewish activists, and journalists covering the conflict. Media strategies of villagers and activists are described and analyzed, and use of new and old media by people with limited access to telecommunications infrastructure is explored. Subsequent news accounts of the struggle and the journalist interviews point to a multifaceted role social media play in progressive social change for the Bedouin.

Keywords:

• activism
• Bedouin
• impact
• Israel
• social media

Acknowledgments

The authors contributed equally to this article.The authors wish to thank Professor Emanuel Marx and Professor Clinton Bailey for providing valuable advice and background information on the Israeli Bedouin community, our colleagues Professor Matt McAllister and Professor Anne Hoag for commenting on earlier drafts, the two anonymous reviewers and the editors at The Information Society for their insightful critique and suggestions, and the people of Al'Arakeeb who have shared with us their time, their wisdom and their food, without which this study would not have been possible.

Notes

1. http://www.internet-2.org.il/%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%A0%D7%98_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D

2. http://shivuk.themarker.com/news/index.dot?id=63544

3. http://www.themarker.com/advertising/1.536481

4. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/police-destroy-dozens-of-buildings-in-unrecognized-bedouin-village-in-negev-1.304443

5. Including different spellings: El Arakib, Al Arakib, Al Arakeeb, Al Araqeeb, Al Araqebe, and others.

6. http://www.god.tv/negev

7. http://www.mmi.gov.il/HodaotmmiInt/show_h.asp?key=1033& CodeMaarecet=1

8. Interviewees were randomly assigned letters to label them.

9. The Israeli parliament.

10. http://www.youtube.com/user/alaraqeb

11. www.livestream.com

12. http://israblog.nana10.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=710223

13. Some examples: http://hagada.org.il/2011/02/20/ ; http://michaelarch.wordpress.com/2010/05/09/ ; http://www.news1.co.il/Archive/003-D-55044-00.html

14. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJVWmBcDjU

15. See Rosenfeld (2010).

16. July 27, 2010, “Israel police raze ‘illegal’ Bedouin village in Negev.” BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-10777040

17. July 28, 2010, “Israel razes homes in Bedouin village.” Los Angeles Times, Edmund Sanders. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/28/world/la-fg-israel-bedouins-20100728

18. August 25, 2010, “A test of wills over a patch of desert.” New York Times, Isabel Kershner. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/world/middleeast/26israel.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&emc=eta1

19. March 1, 2011, “The Israelis keep bulldozing their village, but still the Bedouin will not give up their land.” The Guardian, Harriet Sherwood. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/01/israelis-demolish-bedouin-village

20. It is important to note that “W,” while a native of Al-’Arakeeb, holds advanced academic degrees.