The Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages and Bimkom, formulated an alternative master plan for the Palestinian villages. Contrary to Israel’s plans, the alternative master plan shows that it is possible, desirable and necessary to recognize all of the unrecognized Palestinian villages. The plan presented a professional outline for the recognition, planning and development of all villages, and was formulated together with the communities, while incorporating the planning standards used in the rest of the Israeli rural sector.57 The plan was presented few times in the Knesset and in front of the Israeli Planning Association. However, the alternative plan does not have any legal power but it is used as a counter-plan that takes into account the populations’ rights.58 Wadi Al-Na’am, is the largest unrecognized Palestinian village with approximately 14,000 residents.59 The village was established in the 1950s when Palestinian residents of the Naqab were moved there from their original villages during the Israeli military rule. For some sixty years the community has been deemed “temporary.” It has not been connected to electricity, sewage, telephone, roads, and residents suffer from a severe lack of education, health and welfare services.60 Testimony of M. Q. Wadi Al-Na’am Since we were forced by Israel to leave our lands of origin in the early 1950s, we still live under daily threat of displacements and our homes and facilities demolished, and by this making our life unbearable and impossible. Israel refuses to recognize our village, under the pretext that in this area there is the Ramat Hovav hazardous industrial park and industrial waste facility. One of the ironic claims of Israel is that these factories will affect the health of our community, while both of those sites were built in 1979 and our village has existed here long before. Israel still denies us our basic municipal services, such as water, electricity, clinics and schools. However, after a long struggle with the Israeli authorities, during which we submitted dozens of applications to connect to water, finally in the 1980s they accepted to set up a single water-meter for the entire community. This water-meter serves more than 1,500 residences. Many families are forced to have their own water containers and buy tanks of water, which are very expensive. 57 58 59 60 20 Alternative Master Plan for the Unrecognized Bedouin Villages in the Negev. Yiftachel. Interview, 10 November 2014. Israel: Bedouin Facing Mass Evictions From Their Land. Unrecognized Bedouin Village Challenges Forced Urbanization Plan; Nasser, Severe Housing Distress and Destruction of Arab Homes: Obstacles and Recommendations for Change.