Arab MK leads campaign against bill allocating state land to Jews only
Hadash MKs collect documents showing that JNF lands were expropriated from Arabs for Jewish settlements.
By Yoav Stern Tags: JNFHadash 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.
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.
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Hadash MK Hanna Swaid. (Daniel Baron / Jini) |
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You probably hate having your opinion cluttered with facts ... about how about doing some research b4 you just spote over-used retoric.... 1) Look of the word "apartheid" in your dictionairy 2) JNF = JEWISH NATIONAL FUND. in other words, lands which were PURCHASED by JEWS when the state was established for the purpose of having JEWS a place to live
The average Israeli does not know his own history. The average Israeli thinks Jewish history began in 1948. The averge Arab has been brain washed to think that Arab history is ancient. Guess which version will prevail?
Every country in the world has laws limiting access to and ownership rights to public land.In fact, Mexicodid not permit foreiners to own any land in Mexico.The Arabs are the consummate robbers of land in the Holy Land. The Biblelist no Arab people in the Holy Land. The Arabs have usurped our history on the Temple Mount andare engaged in relentless historical revisionism.
Some Israeli arabs prove once again that they will NEVER accept Israel's Jewish character. Is this Bishara nr 2?
So they are just righting the original wrong. Mr. Swaid can't pick ethics up in 1950 and discount what history shows earlier than that.
The law is an embarrassment to any people that might lay claim to the term "civilized."
I'm sure you'll work out a way to weasel your way to where you want to be. Just curious to see what formula you cook up.
I am waiting for an Arab in Israel to protest against AhMadInJihad and his threats toward Israel. I am also waiting for an Israeli Arab to protest the peverse Iranian attitude toward the holocaust. I am waiting for a show of loyalty from Swaid and others toward the State of Israel.Until such time they cannot be regarded as loyal citizens of the state and cannot expect all of the benefits which would otherwise accrue to loyal citizens of Israel.
Israel is a democracy and doesn't resort to apartheid policies. Right. At least the U.S. recognized and owned up some fifty years ago to the fact there were housing covenants that prohibited certain groups from buying into a neighborhod. Guess Israel prefers to masquerade as a democracy while fully embracing aprtheid policies.
It's not unethical if one is righting the original wrong. Counting from 1950 onward isnt ethical in itself, Mr. Swaid.