The situation of the Negev Settlements at the end of 1947
The Negev settlement project included 6 agricultural kibbutzim that settled the land between the years 1941 – 1944 and 19 small settlements, each with 15 young men and women, and in addition, 3 observation stations. In 1946 and 1947, they examined the agricultural and land preservation potential.
The establishment of the Negev Settlements was the outcome of the settlement policy formulated by the institutions of the organized Jewish population. The policy was: settling the Jewish National Fund land in order to add force to the demand of the Jews to incorporate the Negev within the borders of the future Jewish State.
The project of settling the Negev was carried out in 3 stages:
During the years 1941-1944, six settlements were established in the 'rainy' Shaar Hanegev area: Nir-Am, Yad Mordehai, Be'erot Yitzhak, Dorot, Ruhama. In 1943, three observation stations were established in the arid area: Bet Eshel, Revivim and Gvulot with the intention of performing research and experiments for developing agriculture under the very hot and parched conditions of the region.
In October 1946, on Yom Kippur night (at the conclusion of Yom Kippur), 11 settlements were established, of which 9 were in the northern Negev: Nirim, Urim, Hatzerim, Shuval, Mishmar-Hanegev, Be'eri, Kfar Darom, Tekuma and Nevatim.
In 1947, seven additional settlements were established in the northern Negev: Mivtahim, Tze'elim, Ramat-Hanegev, Halutza, Alumim, Gabim and Sa'ad.
In 1946, with the establishment of the settlements, two pipelines were laid for supplying water to the population: one line led to the western Negev settlements and the other to the eastern Negev settlements. The water was drawn from wells in the Nir-Am area. In each of the settlements (3 observation stations and 16 settlements there were about 15 youngsters (girls and boys). Each point was enclosed within a 100 meter long fence. There were two security outposts constructed from sandbags and a concrete armory. The 6 kibbutzim established in the Shaar Hanegev area in the years 1941-1944, had an older population. Each kibbutz numbered about 200 people, adults and children and they raised farm animals and field crops. The fences surrounding each kibbutz measured 500 meters in length.
Each settlement had a guard station, belonging to the Jewish Settlement Police and the British authorities supplied them with 7 English rifles and 7 Italian rifles. The guard station in Nir-Am was given a van with a Lewis machine gun for patrolling along the pipeline. In addition to the legal weapons, each settlement had its own 'Slik' (hidden cache for weapons) supplied to them by the 'Hagana'. The 'Slik' contained 10-12 rifles and 2 Sten sub-machine guns, one or two machine guns and a 2" mortar. The majority of the adult population in the Shaar Hanegev kibbutzim had no personal weapons.
The Shaar Hanegev settlements, the observation stations and other points throughout the Negev, were all isolated. The traffic to the Negev drove on two length-wise roads (north-south) that all passed through or alongside of Arab villages and towns. In the Negev itself, there was one road from Gaza to Beer Sheba, the 'Ra'av' road (an unpaved rocky road) and some unpaved paths.
The above situation necessitated protection for the isolated settlements of the Negev: security control of the roads between the settlements, security control of the pipeline and protection for the transport of food and other essential supplies.
There was no solution to all of these problems because, in contrast to other districts where the 'Hagana' was present, the Negev district did not have an armored battalion and a security garrison. Therefore, already in August 1947, the Hagana General Staff appointed the Palmach H.Q. to undertake the security needs of the Negev.
The project of settling the Negev was carried out in 3 stages:
During the years 1941-1944, six settlements were established in the 'rainy' Shaar Hanegev area: Nir-Am, Yad Mordehai, Be'erot Yitzhak, Dorot, Ruhama. In 1943, three observation stations were established in the arid area: Bet Eshel, Revivim and Gvulot with the intention of performing research and experiments for developing agriculture under the very hot and parched conditions of the region.
In October 1946, on Yom Kippur night (at the conclusion of Yom Kippur), 11 settlements were established, of which 9 were in the northern Negev: Nirim, Urim, Hatzerim, Shuval, Mishmar-Hanegev, Be'eri, Kfar Darom, Tekuma and Nevatim.
In 1947, seven additional settlements were established in the northern Negev: Mivtahim, Tze'elim, Ramat-Hanegev, Halutza, Alumim, Gabim and Sa'ad.
In 1946, with the establishment of the settlements, two pipelines were laid for supplying water to the population: one line led to the western Negev settlements and the other to the eastern Negev settlements. The water was drawn from wells in the Nir-Am area. In each of the settlements (3 observation stations and 16 settlements there were about 15 youngsters (girls and boys). Each point was enclosed within a 100 meter long fence. There were two security outposts constructed from sandbags and a concrete armory. The 6 kibbutzim established in the Shaar Hanegev area in the years 1941-1944, had an older population. Each kibbutz numbered about 200 people, adults and children and they raised farm animals and field crops. The fences surrounding each kibbutz measured 500 meters in length.
Each settlement had a guard station, belonging to the Jewish Settlement Police and the British authorities supplied them with 7 English rifles and 7 Italian rifles. The guard station in Nir-Am was given a van with a Lewis machine gun for patrolling along the pipeline. In addition to the legal weapons, each settlement had its own 'Slik' (hidden cache for weapons) supplied to them by the 'Hagana'. The 'Slik' contained 10-12 rifles and 2 Sten sub-machine guns, one or two machine guns and a 2" mortar. The majority of the adult population in the Shaar Hanegev kibbutzim had no personal weapons.
The Shaar Hanegev settlements, the observation stations and other points throughout the Negev, were all isolated. The traffic to the Negev drove on two length-wise roads (north-south) that all passed through or alongside of Arab villages and towns. In the Negev itself, there was one road from Gaza to Beer Sheba, the 'Ra'av' road (an unpaved rocky road) and some unpaved paths.
The above situation necessitated protection for the isolated settlements of the Negev: security control of the roads between the settlements, security control of the pipeline and protection for the transport of food and other essential supplies.
There was no solution to all of these problems because, in contrast to other districts where the 'Hagana' was present, the Negev district did not have an armored battalion and a security garrison. Therefore, already in August 1947, the Hagana General Staff appointed the Palmach H.Q. to undertake the security needs of the Negev.