The triangular southern half of Israel. It extends from Beer-sheva south to the port of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba. The Negev is a semidesert tableland from 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 610 meters) above sea level. It has limestone mountains and flatlands and is covered by a layer of fertile loam that must have water to grow crops. The Israelis have farmed part of the Negev by irrigation with water brought through the National Water Carrier from Lake Kin-neret (the Sea of Galilee) through canals and pipelines. They have also mined phosphates and copper. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan (2005) to disengage (see UNILATERAL DISENGAGEMENT [HITNATKUT, TOKHNIT HAHITNATKUT]) from the Gaza Strip and from areas of the northern West Bank included ideas for the significant development of sections of the Negev.
Historical Dictionary of Israel. Bernard Reich David H. Goldberg. Edited by Jon Woronoff..