Idan HaNegev

Idan HaNegev Industrial Park is an industrial park being built southeast of the Bedouin city of Rahat, Israel. The goal is to alleviate unemployment in the local Bedouin population. It is situated in a zone under the jurisdiction of Bnei Shimon Regional Council, between Lehavim and Rahat, close to the city of Beersheba. It will cover an area of some 3,500 dunams. Some Local Bedouin leaders praised the initiative. According to Rahat Mayor Faiz Abu Sahiban, "it is a good solution which could considerably reduce unemployment in the city, particularly among Bedouin women". However other Bedouin say government-subsidized investment perks mostly benefit large Jewish-owned companies that are under no obligation to hire Bedouins. "It's not answering the needs of the people," said Jihad Elubra, manager at Mati, a government-funded nonprofit group that assists Bedouin-owned businesses in southern Israel. "It's only helping big companies" ()