The Jewish National Fund was formed in 1901 to ‘redeem’ the land of Palestine as the inalienable property of the Jewish people. In other words to ensure that when the land was purchased, it was used solely for the benefit of Jewish people, who were the only ones allowed to live their or work the land. As a matter of course, Palestinian labourers and peasants were evicted from the land.

In 1950 the JNF who had managed to purchase about 1/2m dunums (1/4 acre) uptill then, were sold, at knock-down prices, another 2m dunums from which the Palestinian population had been expelled.

Why, one might ask, should the newly formed Israeli state have any need to sell anything to the JNF? The answer is quite simple. The Israeli State does not wish to be seen openly to discriminate against non-Jews. It therefore subcontracts that to organisations which are openly racist in their practices, like the JNF. And to make sure the 1953 JNF Law ensured that the Israeli State had to approve the JNF’s Memorandum of Association as it was formally incorporated.

In 1960 the Knesset passed a Law establishing a Covenant between the State and the JNF, formally signed in 1961. 3 Land Laws in 1960 established an overall Committee to dispose of the 80% of land that belongs to the State and the 13% belonging to the JNF. To this day 93% of Israeli land has been designated for the use of Jews only.

The JNF therefore reacted furiously to the recent Supreme Court decision in the Ka’adan case which stipulated that all land over which the State has control must be allocated without regard to ethnic or national considerationis.

KKL-JNF – Trustee for the Jewish People on its land

For the first time since the State of Israel was founded, the High Court of Justice has been required to consider petitions that de-legitimize the Jewish People’s continued ownership of KKL-JNF lands. These petitions are, in fact, directed against the fundamental principles on which KKL-JNF was founded and in accordance with which it has acquired land and managed it for the past hundred years, up to the present day. The petitions constitute a demand to deprive KKL-JNF – which serves as trustee for the lands of the Jewish People – of the right to make use of these lands for the continuation of the Zionist enterprise in the Land of Israel.

A survey commissioned by KKL-JNF reveals that over 70% of the Jewish population in Israel opposes allocating KKL-JNF land to non-Jews, while over 80% prefer the definition of Israel as a Jewish state, rather than as the state of all its citizens.

None of this has stopped Gordon Brown becoming a patron of the JNF or Prince Phillip from hosting a dinner on 7th April at Windsor Castle in ‘celebration’ of 60 years of genocide, expulsion and massacre of the Palestinians (sorry ‘independence’).

The Royals have been written to, and below is their response:

From: Brigadier Sir Miles Hunt Davies, K.C.V.O., C.B.E
Private Secretary to H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh
Buckingham Palace.

10 March, 2008

The Duke of Edinburgh has asked me to thank you for your letter dated 1st March to me in which you commented on the wisdom of the dinner at Windsor Castle to be held in April to mark the 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel.

You comments have, of course, been noted and whilst not wishing to be drawn into a discussion about the points raised in your letter, I feel you may wish to be aware that the proceeds from the dinner are going to a number of charities, one of which will be the Israeli Youth Award for Young People, which is the Israeli branch of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. This charity plays a significant part in attempting to bridge the gap between young people of all faiths and backgrounds, in amongst other places, Israel and Jordan.

Yours faithfully,

Miles Hunt-Davis

So it’s fine to host an openly racist organisation because the proceeds are apparently going to a charity which ‘plays a significant part in attempting to bridge the gap between young people of all faiths and backgrounds’. Well that makes it ok then. Next time the SS Veterans Organisation holds a commemoration let’s just hope they choose the right charity to benefit from it!!

Tony Greenstein

Appeal overturned: Qa`adan family can build home in Katzir 05 September 2004
Association for Civil Rights in Israel

After a lengthy legal battle of more than nine years waged by the Association of Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) on behalf of the Ka’adan family, the Supreme Court established explicitly that the family could purchase a plot of land in the residential community of Katzir
Justices Mazza, Beinish and Joubran rejected the residential community’s objection to the decision by the Israel Lands Authority to allocate a plot of land to the Arab family. During the hearing, that took place last Thursday, Justice Eliahu Mazza levied clear criticism on admissions committees in residential communities, such as that of Katzir, and on the way they make their decisions. Among other issues, he noted that that “today the committee demands a graphology test, tomorrow they could require observation in a psychiatric hospital.” In response to a request by Attorney Dan Yakir, ACRI’s Chief Legal Counsel, who represented the Ka’adan family, the petition remains pending until the purchase contract between the Israel Lands Authority and the Ka’adan family has been signed.

By way of background, in 1995 Adel and Iman Ka’adan first applied to buy a plot of land and build their home in the Katzir community. After the authorities denied the request, ACRI submitted a petition on their behalf to the Supreme Court. The court ruled in March 2000 that the state is not authorized, according to law, to allocate state land to the Jewish Agency for the purpose of establishing the Katzir communal settlement based on a discriminatory policy that differentiates between those who are Jews and those who are not Jews.

During the years following the court ruling, the various authorities (The Israel Lands Authority, The Jewish Agency, and the residential community of Katzir) have done their utmost to block implementation of the judgment and wear down the couple to the point that they will eventually just give up, while attacking the couple’s character. As a result, ACRI submitted an additional petition on behalf of the family to demand that the state agencies implement the court’s ruling. In response to the second petition, the court issued an interim injunction ordering the reservation of a plot of land on the western hill of the residential community where the family originally wanted to build their home, until the summation of the hearing on the second petition.
In May 2004, the Israel Lands Authority informed the Supreme Court of its intention to allocate a plot to the family at the price stipulated in April 1995, the date the family first submitted their request to build a home in the community. The battle did not end there however, and the Supreme Court rejected the Katzir community’s subsequent objection on Thursday.

Habitat International Coalition
Housing and Land Rights Network

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Habitat International Coalition (HIC), the global movement specialized in human settlements since 1976