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Hadash MK Hanna Swaid. (Daniel Baron / Jini) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 21:24 23/10/2007 Arab MK leads campaign against bill allocating state land to Jews only By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent Hadash MK Hanna Swaid has been promoting action to foil a Jewish National Fund bill, which calls for all JNF lands to be allocated to Jews only. The bill is geared to bypass a 2004 court ruling that annulled an Israel Lands Administration (ILA) policy preventing Israeli Arabs from participating in bids to purchase JNF-owned land. Hadash MKs have started collecting documents and ownership certificates from Arab citizens, whose lands have been expropriated and assigned to the JNF. They seek to prove that a majority of JNF lands, which constitute 13 percent of the State of Israel's land, were expropriated from Arabs for Jewish communities during the 1950s. Advertisement Numerous former landowners have submitted their papers to Hadash offices nationwide, following an appeal in Arabic that the party issued on its Web site. Hadash is vigorously opposed to the bill, which was submitted to the Knesset by right-wing MKs Uri Ariel, Zeev Elkin and Moshe Kahlon. The bill passed preliminary reading and is now being debated by the Knesset Finance Committee before it is brought back to the Knesset plenum for first reading. Swaid told Haaretz on Tuesday that "at the moral basis of this bill stands the assumption that the lands in question were bought by Jews for Jews, but we intend to prove that a majority of JNF lands were expropriated from their Arab owners." He added that "the act of expropriating land from Arabs and then preventing them from buying it is unethical." He said that he and his faction members are trying to persuade the Jewish members of the Finance Committee to oppose the bill, and call it off. If this lobbying campaign fails, they will consider appealing to courts in Israel and abroad. More Jewish World news and features Related articles: Bill allocating JNF land to Jews only passes preliminary reading Bookmark to del.icio.us Mystery fall Avraham and Carmela Cohen are suspected of being involved in a soldier's murder. Lonely no more Many people hold Lonely Planet responsible for the entire globe becoming a tourist site.   1.   Ethics 21:06  |  Rivka 23/10/07   2.   Democracy, Right 21:41  |  J Olson 23/10/07   3.   SWAID SHOULD PROTEST IRANIAN THREATS TO ISRAEL 23:28  |  D.Issloyale 23/10/07   4.   Interesting to see how you work this one out 00:18  |  Colin Wright 24/10/07   5.   Israel needs to move out of Stone Age 01:51  |  Tim 24/10/07   6.   JNF land is state-owned. 02:33  |  Fortuna Benmayor 24/10/07   7.   Ethics 02:40  |  Rivka 24/10/07   8.   Israel`s 5th is busy again 03:04  |  Eytan Leibovitz 24/10/07   9.   jnf 04:05  |  Ned Rlofe 24/10/07   10.   to Rivka 04:14  |  Salim 24/10/07   11.   to #2 -- Olson 09:56  |  Kobi 24/10/07

Today Online Amira Hass: Israel expects the PA to assist the occupation Responses: 30 Israel threatens to cut off Gaza power in response to Qassams Responses: 84 Editorial: Israel must teach students that its democracy is flawed Responses: 19 Benazir Bhutto: Extremist politics will not prevail in Pakistan Responses: 11 Barak blames rightist officials for incitement before Rabin murder Responses: 24 Rosner's Domain * WTR: Relax, America will survive Bush * New poll: Were you convinced that the surge in Iraq is working? * Israel's fear: Will Rice put a bridging proposal on the table? * Jumblatt to Bush: Send car bombs to Damascus More Headlines 12:36 Israeli man hurt in drive-by shooting in West Bank 12:40 Court: Local rabbinates have no independent say on shmita sales 12:01 Defense chiefs urge ministry to impose more sanctions on Gaza 10:47 J'lem church suspects extremist Jews behind overnight arson 08:57 PM tells London Jews: Russia won't supply nuclear fuel to Iran 12:44 MKs debate ouster of Labor, Welfare and Health Committee chairman 07:46 Defense officials: Lack of funds could halt completion of separation fence 08:07 Barak: Some politicians tainted by pre-Rabin killing incitement 04:29 U.S. House panel endorses Holocaust insurance measure Previous Editions Select Day 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 19 oct 18 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct 14 oct 12 oct 11 oct 10 oct

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