In 1997, a group of concerned Arab and Jewish residents of the Negev (Israel’s southern desert region) established the Negev Coexistence Forum for Civil Equality (NCF) to provide a framework for Jewish-Arab collaborative efforts in the struggle for civil equality and the advancement of mutual tolerance and coexistence. NCF, also known as “Dukium” in Hebrew, is unique in being the only Arab-Jewish organization that remains focused solely on the specific problems confronting the Negev.

NCF considers that the State of Israel fails to respect, protect and fulfill its human rights obligations, without discrimination, towards the Arab-Bedouin citizens in the Negev. As a result, the Forum has set out as one of its goals to achieve full civil rights and equality for all those living Negev.

The Forum’s activities and projects are based on the principle of Arab-Jewish cooperation and as such, among our members are leaders and academics from the Negev Arab community. As a joint Jewish-Arab group, we maintain a balance and equal partnership in all bodies of the organization, as well as in the decision-making processes.

The Forum is a community-based organization and volunteers are at the heart of our work. Today, 30 core volunteer activists, both Arabs and Jews, dedicate time and effort on a weekly basis to help achieve our mission. In addition, there are about 200 people who participate in select activities on a monthly basis, and about 1,000 who are continuously updated on issues related to NCF and our activities.

More specifically, NCF volunteers take responsibility for a project, issue or activity reflecting their areas of interest and expertise. This could include website maintenance, international advocacy and public relations, attending conferences, participation in NCF meetings, solidarity visits with victims of house demolitions, editing and distributing our newsletter, translating materials, organizing cultural events, and more.