{"id":26493,"date":"2023-06-04T10:15:25","date_gmt":"2023-06-04T08:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=26493"},"modified":"2023-06-04T23:26:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-04T21:26:43","slug":"alien-entities-in-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/alien-entities-in-the-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Alien Entities in the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Camel vs the State of Israel?<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
Dror Shohet<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
It is twilight. The desert landscape on both sides of the car seems otherworldly, like we’re on the moon.<\/p>\n
For miles now, we\u2019re the only car on the road. Hafez (anonymity pseudonym) spots something and stops the car. I don\u2019t see anything. He gets out and bends down, close to the ground. I\u2019m looking at him curiously as he returns to the car. It was camel feces he took a good look at \u2014 a fresh batch, apparently. He gently turns off the road and into the desert, switching off the car lights. It’s essential that the park rangers don\u2019t see us. After 200 meters of mindful driving, he hides the car behind a big bush. We step out into the wilderness; it\u2019s that special time of fleeting light. We start walking. Soon after Hafez start calling them, \u201cRjad, rjad, rjad<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can hear them. Can you hear them?\u201d he asks. No, I can\u2019t. I think to myself that my senses must be dull, and how I would be scared if I were here alone at twilight. But I feel totally safe because Hafez knows the desert \u2014 its every curve and plant \u2014 like I know the streets of Tel Aviv. It\u2019s hard to see the ground and I use the flashlight on my phone. Hafez asks me to turn it off, and I feel foolish that I might have made us noticeable. I actually can see better without it when I\u2019m looking far ahead into the distance. I just need to trust the ground to catch me. When I spend time with Hafez, it sinks in a bit more how disconnected and afraid our society is, so helpless in wild nature, especially after sunset. We\u2019re so used to soft buffers to protect us from the raw, thorny, sweaty outside, accustomed to our AC, comfy shoes and sunglasses. There\u2019s so much separation from the earth and it\u2019s just so boringly normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m hearing them now, but then maybe I\u2019m imagining it,\u201d I say. The smile on Hafez\u2019s face remains cheeky. He is very proud of how he was brought up as a semi-nomad wandering the desert, always learning from it. \u201cThis was my school,\u201d he says. He calls it \u201cthe desert senses.\u201d And then, before I know it, they arrive, a bunch of them, standing in rows, gigantic looking, reminding me of weird mythological animals. They are brightly colored, almost glowing in the approaching night. I\u2019m so impressed that these large wild animals can be so attentive and connected to Hafez, recognizing and following his voice from afar. It feels legendary, like a one-of-a-kind moment that I\u2019ll cherish forever. They\u2019re approaching us to say hello, and a mixture of fear and excitement catches me. They\u2019re so adorable in a clumsy yet elegant way.<\/p>\nCamels in the Negev desert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After a warm exchange of greeting gestures, Hafez doesn\u2019t miss a beat. \u201cThey\u2019re thirsty,\u201d he says, \u201cwe must give them water.\u201d He finds some part of a hose on the ground and we continue walking for ten minutes or so, Hafez, me and behind us, thirty majestic camels. They are surprisingly quiet. Every now and then I turn around to see if they’re still there. Meanwhile, Hafez keeps calling to them, \u201cRjad, rjad \u2013 rrrrrr<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n
We reach water taps and hoses locked behind a fence. These belong to the national water company. I don\u2019t remember how Hafez managed to get inside, or how he opened the locked faucet. I just remember him saying something like, \u201cIf they\u2019re playing games, I too know how to play games.\u201d A camel shoves her head just behind my shoulder, maybe to see the action. Bonded by the close proximity to her face, I want to stroke her, but I am afraid.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re very thirsty, they can smell the water,\u201d he says. Clearly it isn\u2019t Hafez\u2019s first time, because it’s not long before we hear the shrieking sound of the water pressure and the water starts streaming \u2014 a huge relief. He fills up a barrel and the camels gather around and drink in turns. It is very satisfying to see their long necks decorated with water droplets, looking like they are smiling.<\/p>\n
Fauna Politics<\/h4>\n
The reason for this unusual chain of events, which seems like a scene from an action film, is far from exciting. Since the state of Israel was established 75 years ago, the government has been actively pushing the Bedouins from the desert. By doing so, it has transformed the Bedouin life and ancient traditions beyond repair.<\/p>\n
As it happens, the area all around Hafez\u2019s village was declared a nature reserve three decades ago. Believe it or not, it is illegal to herd camels there. This raises many questions around an animal which used to live in ecological balance, in the same place for millennia, yet is no longer considered \u201cnatural\u201d and is now seen even harmful to nature.<\/p>\nCamels grazing in the Negev desert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/camels-grazing-dror-shohet.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/camels-spread-across-a-hilly-area-dror-shohet.jpg\")
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