Sheikh Sayah Abu Madhi’m
Sheikh Sayah Abu Madhi’m is an indigenous human rights defender from the Bedouin minority in Israel. He is among the few who remained in Al-Aragib, a village that is not recognised by the Israeli authorities despite its establishment preceding that of the State of Israel. The authorities, which consider it to be built on state land, demolished the village for the first time in 2010. The human rights defenders’ work primarily focuses on Bedouin land rights. He organises weekly peaceful demonstrations to protest against state policies which undermine Bedouin rights, particularly in relation to land.
Many of the issues affecting the work of human rights defenders in Israel are linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. A number of non governmental organisations exist in Israel which monitor the situation of Palestinians in the OPT and encourage religious pluralism and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
