NEGEV, Israel: Israeli police and Bedouin protesters clashed Thursday in the latest unrest over a tree-planting project in the Negev desert, a day after authorities appealed for compromise, AFP journalists said.
Protesters have held a series of demonstrations in recent days over the environmental scheme in southern Israel鈥檚 arid desert region, posing a thorny challenge for the fragile coalition government.
Bedouin, who are part of Israel鈥檚 20 percent Arab minority, have long opposed tree-planting initiatives in the Negev, blasting them as a de facto government land grab in areas they call home.
鈥淧olice dispersed the demonstrators who blocked a road in the Negev and threw stones at the police,鈥� the security forces said in a statement.
Thirteen people were arrested in the events, the statement added.
An AFP photographer was lightly injured during the clashes.
The latest unrest in the decades-long dispute has attracted fresh attention given the make-up of Israel鈥檚 coalition government, led by right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Bennett鈥檚 government counts on the backing from the leader of the Islamist Raam party, Mansour Abbas, whose core political support comes from Bedouin in the Negev.
Nearly half of Israel鈥檚 300,000 Bedouin live in unrecognized villages in the Negev.
Abbas told Israel鈥檚 Channel 12 news on Tuesday that his party will not vote with the coalition unless the tree planting is halted and formal negotiations with Bedouin leaders are launched to seek a compromise.
On Wednesday, Social Affairs Minister Meir Cohen said that a 鈥渃ompromise鈥� had been reached that would allow for 鈥渁ccelerated negotiations鈥� to take place.
But clashes have continued.
The right-wing Regavim environmental group called on Bennett鈥檚 government 鈥渢o take a firm position against the Raam Party鈥檚 threats鈥� and to ensure tree-planting projects continue.