A tension of rights and needs? Social work advocacy for undocumented residents in the unrecognized villages of the Negev

Abstract Social work advocacy is a longstanding principle in social work. These endeavors, grounded in core values, aim to safeguard and promote fundamental human rights for individuals and groups. However, citizenship status and marginalization often pose a challenge for advocacy efforts. In unrecognized indigenous communities, such as those of the undocumented Bedouins in Israel, the realization of social rights is inextricably linked to the struggle for basic citizenship rights. Unrecognized villages are not officially acknowledged by the state, and consequently, due to this policy of non-recognition, suffer from a lack of basic infrastructure and are subjected to sanctions such as house demolitions. Social workers in such a context find themselves operating in a space where the very definition of ‘citizen’ is contested and where the absence of formal recognition creates cascading barriers to the take-up of rights. Semi-structured interviews with seventeen social workers were conducted to uncover the realities of social work advocacy in this context. The findings reveal three main themes: securing basic citizenship rights, mobilizing community resources to fill welfare state gaps, and limited acts of policy practice. We deduce that employing ‘under the radar’, needs-based practices to navigate state neglect creates tension with long-term rights-based goals.