Public and media attention is nowadays devoted, and rightly so, to the danger posed by the Corona virus, and in recent days we are also disturbed by the rates of expansion in ultra-Orthodox society. However, too little thought is given to what is going on under the nose of Israeli society, to the reality of living in southern Israel, under unconditional conditions. Of course, it refers to Bedouin society.

For starters, we will differentiate between the more or less developed permanent residences, and the so-called "diaspora settlements," which are scanty clusters of huts, tents and other temporary buildings. Bedouin diaspora usually have no running water, no proper electrical connections, no internet, and unfortunately, no disinfectants are available. Even soap and soap are not a rare commodity.

As soon as the crisis broke out, I shouted, in a personal letter, to the Prime Minister, who would give his opinion and ask those in charge to hear what was going on in small parts of the Bedouin society. I suggested, for example, that this time our school clusters would become tolerable isolation complexes. Because the combination of unconsciousness in these Bedouin communities, plus the high density of them - the result of home demolition policies and the lack of permanent solutions - means that anyone suspected of being infected cannot even stay in isolation for one night. The reason is simple: It is impossible to assign a secluded room for two weeks in a 64-square-meter hut with a dozen members of a single family.

But while sophisticated systems can estimate how many corona patients are at the center - the situation is not the case for the "unknown" Bedouin concentrations. Some are infected, some are infectious and some do so when it comes to essential shopping in Arad, Dimona or especially in Beer Sheva. The lack of care for them - in explaining, providing residential solutions for isolation, creating quick inspection and evacuation mechanisms as is done in the center of the country - may explode for all of us in the face.

The local councils I run are ranked in cluster 1, which means a poor and weak population. This is the situation of those living in our well-known permanent settlements - the socio-economic situation of citrus in the scattered communities is many times worse. In this emergency, recipients of welfare services, especially veterans and people with disabilities who are a high-risk population, are required for regular and extensive assistance. The tools available to the council do not allow everyone to reach the basic needs, over time, especially food and medicine. Needy populations are forced to settle down in the place of residence, without fresh food and necessary equipment, and their condition may also deteriorate due to lack of adequate medical care. If some of them go out to nearby cities to have no choice of basic products, they may be exposed and expose others to life-threatening infection.

Another problem that, even in routine days, is unimaginable is the lack of a standard Internet infrastructure. Add to this the limited control in Hebrew - and you have entire groups that are detached from the information, the Ministry of Health guidelines and the decisions of the treating bodies.

To my delight, the Home Front Command has begun to assist the sector in recent days. But the corona teaches us how intertwined the fabric of life of all of us - Jews, Arabs, Bedouins - is. Neglecting one, will return sooner or later to hurt the other. Let's learn how to be Arab to each other.

Salameh Al-Atrash is the head of the Al-Qasum Regional Council in the Negev