by Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively for VK
The Be’er Sheva Wine Festival has become a new cause of tensions between Turkey and Israel on September 5. Turkish Vice Premier Bekir Bozdag accused Israel of hosting the festival near a mosque on purpose to provoke the right of Muslims to freedom of faith. A group of Bedouins set up a protest tent in the festival field.
Professor Muhamed Gurmiz, head of the Turkish Directorate for Religion, sent a letter to Israel urging common sense, respect for Muslims and to convince the company organizing the festival to hold it elsewhere. The official said that the location of the festival is holy and is a monument of the Ottoman Empire.
Israeli media said that Turkey started protests against the wine festival. Some Turkish public organizations were agitating protesters against Israel. Meanwhile, Israel expressed surprise at the accusations. The Foreign Ministry and the Be’er Sheva Mayor’s Office reminded that the festival is being held for the sixth time at the same place and neither the Bedouins nor anyone else had had problems with it. The festival is held dozens of meters away from the mosque’s fence, not to mention dozens of meters between the fence and the mosque itself. Moreover, the Be’er Sheva Mayor’s Office notes that grievances were expressed only on the day prior to the festival, when it was too late to change anything.
Some Israeli observers believe that some people in Turkey are opposed to the recent Israeli-Turkish rapprochement and want to use any opportunity to stop the process.
Bedouins are an essential part of Be’er Sheva and modern Israel. Unlike Israeli Arabs, Bedouins serve in the Israeli Army, including some of the most elite formations. Bedouins were the ones who prevented the recent terrorist attack of Hamas. Terrorists killed 16 Egyptian border guards and broke into Israel in an armored vehicle. Many Bedouins live and work in Be’er Sheva. Their cities and villages are 10-15 minutes away from Be’er Sheva. The Bedouin mosque had been idle for years and was restored by the city authorities.
Be’er Sheva has a center for preservation and development of Bedouin culture, the Bedouin Directorate promoting “positive discrimination”, providing them with housing at lower prices and easier terms for entering universities. Israel has been focusing on giving Bedouin girls an opportunity for higher education. Accusations of discrimination against Muslims and violation of their rights provoked justified indignation from Israel.
