About the Negev

The Negev is a vast desert region constituting roughly 60% of Israel’s land mass, although only a small fraction of Israel’s population. It is a popular area for tourism because it so different from the countryside that Europeans and even most Israelis are used to.

During the British Mandate and especially after 1948, the Negev became central to Israeli development policy. The first prime minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, strongly advocated settling the desert, and he even chose to live in the Negev in Sde Boker after he retired from politics. The Negev is strategically significant in that it controls access between Africa and Asia, has border proximity to Egypt and Jordan and contains key military installations. Because of these factors, it remains central to Israel’s long-term demographic and economic planning.

The Negev is in the shape of a triangle. Its northern boundary is loosely defined by a line from the Gaza Strip through Be’ersheba to the southern end of the Dead Sea. From there, it tapers southward to the port city of Eilat on the Red Sea. Be’ersheba is its largest city and its administrative and economic center.

The Negev has a geographically diverse landscape and can be divided geographically into three subregions:

The Northern Negev. This consists of gently rolling plains. It is the most densely populated part of the Negev. It is semi-arid, with an annual rainfall of around 200–300 mm of rain. This amount of rain is inadequate for growing wheat but can support herding. It has loess soils, which have the potential to be fertile if provided with adequate water.

The Central Negev. This is marked by rugged highlands. There are also Makhteshim, which are unique erosion craters found almost exclusively in Israel and the Sinai Peninsula that were formed by millions of years of erosion acting on folded rock layers. From north to south, these are the Makhtesh Gadol, Makhtesh Katan and Makhtesh Ramon. There are almost no permanent rivers in the Negev. Rather, water flows seasonally through wadis after rainfall, and these play a crucial role in shaping the landscape and sustaining the limited plant and animal life. This rainfall is highly irregular and often comes in short, intense bursts that lead to flash floods in dry riverbeds known as wadis.

The Southern Negev (Arava Valley). This is a long, flat depression that is part of the Great Rift Valley. This part of the Negev is extremely arid and has only sparse vegetation. Annual rainfall is usually less than 50 mm per year. The soil is unsuitable for agriculture other than for the growing of dates. Nevertheless, there are agricultural settlements in this area.

Of considerable interest is that over the last 50 years or so there has been more rainfall in the northern Negev. This may be due to the effect of the Aswan dam in Egypt on the temperature of the Mediterranean. The north of Israel is now getting slightly less rain and the Tel Aviv to Be’ersheva area is getting slightly more. Less sand is also being deposited on the beaches of Israel, leading to beach erosion.

The Negev is home to one of the largest Bedouin Arab populations in Israel. Most Bedouin in the Negev live in the northern and northeastern parts of the desert. Some live in government-planned towns, while others remain in smaller villages often referred to as “unrecognized villages.” These villages may lack formal infrastructure such as paved roads, electricity connections, sewage systems, and schools because they are not officially recognized by the state planning authorities.

A major issue affecting the Bedouin community has been relocation and land ownership disputes. After 1948, many Bedouin were moved into a restricted area in the northeastern Negev known as the Siyag (“fenced area”). Over time, the Israeli government encouraged — and sometimes pressured — Bedouin families to move from scattered rural encampments into permanent urbanized towns. The largest is Rahat. The government argued that concentrated settlement would allow better delivery of services such as education, healthcare, water, and electricity.

However, many Bedouin opposed relocation plans. Some tribes claim ancestral ownership of lands that were never formally registered under Ottoman or British rule, while the state often considers these lands to be state property. Critics of relocation policies argue that moving Bedouin into dense towns disrupts tribal traditions, weakens agricultural and pastoral lifestyles, and contributes to unemployment, poverty, and social tensions. Supporters of the government’s policies argue that planned towns provide improved housing, schools, medical clinics, and economic opportunities compared with isolated encampments. The debate over Bedouin relocation remains one of the most sensitive social and political issues in southern Israel.

The Negev has become one of Israel’s most important regions for solar energy generation. Large solar fields and research centers have been developed across the desert. One of the best-known projects is near Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava Valley, where extensive photovoltaic solar panels generate renewable electricity for the national grid. Another important center is Ashalim Power Station, which uses both solar tower and solar panel technology. Its bright tower can be seen from route 40, about halfway between Be’ersheva and Mitzpe Ramon,