Abu Talul | |
|---|---|
  Abu Talul | |
| Coordinates:31°8′31″N34°54′52″E / 31.14194°N 34.91444°E /31.14194; 34.91444 | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Neve Midbar |
| Founded | 2006 |
Area | 11,500dunams (11.5 km2; 4.4 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | 5,160 |
| • Density | 449/km2 (1,160/sq mi) |
Abu Talul (Arabic:أبو تلول;Hebrew:אבו תלול)[2] is aBedouin township in southernIsrael. Located in theNegev desert around ten kilometres east ofBeersheba and to the south ofhighway 25, it falls under the jurisdiction ofNeve Midbar Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 5,160.[1]
The township is populated by three large families; Abu Talul, Abu Sulab (Abu Silb) and el-Shihabi.[3] There are also several thousand Bedouin living in the area outside of the organized township.
Prior to the establishment of Israel, the Negev Bedouin were a semi-nomadic society going through a process of sedentariness since theOttoman rule.
Abu Tulul was one of several townships built for the Bedouins in order to offer them proper infrastructure and public services in sanitation, health and education, and municipal services.[4] The largest townships are:Hura,Lakiya,Ar'arat an-Naqab (Ar'ara BaNegev),Shaqib al-Salam (Segev Shalom),Tel as-Sabi (Tel-Sheva),Kuseife and the city ofRahat.[5][6]
Started as anunrecognized Bedouin village, Abu Talul became an officially approved settlement with the implementation of thegovernment Abu Basma plan. This was a plan to find an appropriate solution for scattered Bedouin communities living without official permits all over the Northern Negev. On February 19, 2006, Abu Talul was recognized officially by the state and became part of theAbu Basma Regional Council.[3]
When the Abu Basma Regional Council was dismantled by theIsraeli Ministry of Interior order on November 5, 2012, and two new regional councils were created instead, Abu Talul became a part of theNeve Midbar Regional Council.[7]
In 2012, there were two school buildings, kindergartens, a medical clinic, aperinatal (baby) care centerTipat Halav, threemosques, a cemetery and a sports ground. Seven more public facilities were under construction.[3]
In July 2013, the township had three operating elementary schools and one middle school attended by 2,400 pupils. There was also a high school attended by 120 students, half of them girls and half of them boys. Classes were held in a series of 12 caravans.[8] Due to the traditional nature of Arab Bedouin society there was a high drop-out rate that was significantly higher among the girls. The nearest university isBen-Gurion University of the Negev inBeersheba.
