Heba Alafinesh is used to struggling alone in life. The young Bedouin has a university degree, is a mother of four, and runs a center for women and parents in Rahat. The city was founded in 1970 in the northern Negev desert for Bedouins who were forced to move there. Today, it's Israel's largest Arab city.
Everyday life here is dangerous, Alafinesh says. There are daily skirmishes between warring clans. Alafinesh helps women continue their education and build their self-esteem in the patriarchal Bedouin society, where it's customary for only men to work or study. Some parents are also turning to her for help, writes the German public broadcaster ARD in its report.
"Violence is getting out of control"
Due to the rampant violence in the city, the 37-year-old woman no longer dares to go out alone at night. "When we hear gunshots, we all lie down on the floor. You're supposed to be at home, but you still don't have security. I'm a strong woman, but how can I protect my children with my bare hands when there's shooting?", Alafinish tells the German publication.
The streets of Rahat are littered with garbage. The houses are lined with tin shacks that resemble the refugee camps in Gaza. Poverty and crime are everywhere. If someone is arrested, they're soon released, Alafinish complains. The police are doing almost nothing about the huge amount of illegal weapons in Rahat.
Criticism of Minister Ben-Gvir
Almost every household owns weapons, confirms Talal Al-Krenawi, who has been the mayor of Rahat since 1993. “Guns are like a leprosy that spreads throughout the city”, he says. The police have left the Arab communities to deal with the violence on their own. For this reason, the mayor blames the far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is the Israeli Minister of National Security, ARD writes.
According to Al-Krenawi, there are 18,000 illegal weapons in Rahat. Some of them were taken from Israeli military bases, others were smuggled in from Egypt, Jordan and the West Bank.
"It is difficult to talk openly about violence"
The sheer number of violent images that young people see on the Internet makes the situation even worse, says Heba Alafinesh, director of the family center. More than half of Rahat's residents are under the age of 18.
At the youth center “New Morning in the Negev Desert“, young people regularly discuss the problem of violence in the city. 16-year-old Fajer has just told how her neighbor was killed while her 2-year-old daughter slept in her lap. Most of those present admit that it is very difficult for them to talk openly about violence.
In front of the German publication, Fajer talks about her new idea: “I want to develop an app that is like a person you can trust. People who have a problem will be able to share it, while remaining completely anonymous. I am thinking, for example, of girls who are threatened or are afraid to tell their parents. If they turn to the app anonymously, we will do everything we can to help them“, she says.
Prejudice on both sides
Others want to organize a football tournament for young people from warring family clans. The young people are looking for supporters for their ideas and would also be happy to exchange views with young people from Jewish communities. To achieve this, however, prejudices on both sides must be overcome, says the ARD report.
Author: Bettina Mayer ARD