The board of directors of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) will approve a new policy on Sunday that will allow the organization to officially buy land in the West Bank for possible expansion of Israeli settlements there, according to a draft resolution I obtained.
Why it’s important: A non-governmental organization founded in 1901 to buy land for Jews to settle in Ottoman Palestine, JNF now owns 15% of all land in Israel. This major policy change could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in the expansion of West Bank settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.
The step comes as the Biden administration begins to backtrack on Trump’s policies to legitimize settlements.
- It was driven by lobby pressure from Israeli settlements, which has set the goal of growing the population of Jewish settlers in “zone C” – 60% of the West Bank that is fully controlled by Israel – to one million , about 400,000 today.
Background story: Since 1967, JNF has refrained from directly participating in land purchase in the West Bank, in part due to objections from U.S. donors.
- For many years, JNF was controlled by the center-left Labor Party, but since October it has been led by a right-wing and pro-settler politician.
- Right-wing parties have managed to take over most leadership positions in Zionist organizations such as the JNF, which are an important source of funding and political appointments for Israeli political parties.
Details: According to the draft resolution, JNF will operate in the West Bank to develop settlements through projects, education, afforestation and environmental protection.
- The resolution stresses that JNF will only buy private land owned by Palestinians, which will be used to expand existing settlements, not to build new ones.
- JNF will not buy land in Zones A and B, 40% of the West Bank which is wholly or partially controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
- The land to be purchased must be within the jurisdiction of an existing settlement or immediately adjacent to it.
- Foreign donations will only be used to purchase land in the West Bank if the transactions are legal in accordance with the legislation of the donor country.
- The resolution includes a list of priority areas for land purchase, including the Jordan Valley and other areas on the West Bank.
Between lines: Because of their political and diplomatic sensibilities, JNF leaders tried to keep this movement under the radar. A hard copy of the draft resolution was handed out to board members, who were asked to keep it discreet, sources familiar with the matter told me.
- It is necessary to emphasize: In recent years, JNF has operated on a limited basis in the West Bank through a sister company.
- JNF said in a statement: “Over the years we have worked everywhere in Israel, including Judea and Samaria. Sunday’s meeting aims to approve the principles of the policy based on the legal opinion we have obtained. At this stage we do not intend to establish a new development area in Judea and Samaria. “
What follows: Representatives of center-left parties on the JNF board are trying to block the resolution.
- They claim that such a major policy change is inappropriate during an election campaign and could lead to tensions with the new Biden administration.