The board of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) will on Sunday approve a new policy that will enable the organization to officially buy land in the West Bank for the possible expansion of Israeli settlements there, according to a draft resolution I obtained.
Why it matters: A non-governmental organization founded in 1901 to buy land for Jews to settle in Ottoman Palestine. JNF today owns 15% of all land in Israel. This significant policy shift could cost 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 Trump’s policy of legitimizing settlements is beginning to return.
- It was driven by pressure from the Israeli settlement portal, which aimed to grow the population of Jewish settlers in ‘Area C’ – the 60% of the West Bank fully controlled by Israel – to one million, from about 400,000 today.
The back story: Since 1967, JNF has refrained from direct involvement in the purchase of land in the West Bank, in part due to the objections of American donors.
- JNF has been controlled by the center-left Labor Party for years, but has been at the head of a right-wing, pre-settler politician since October.
- Right-wing parties have succeeded in taking over most of the leadership positions in Zionist organizations such as the JNF, which is a major source of funding and political appointments for Israel’s political parties.
Details: According to the draft resolution, JNF will work on the West Bank to develop settlements through projects, education, forestry and environmental protection.
- The resolution emphasizes that JNF will only buy private land owned by Palestinians, which will be used to expand existing settlements and not build new land.
- JNF will not buy land in Areas A and B – the 40% of the West Bank that is wholly or partly controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
- The land to be purchased must be within the jurisdiction of an existing settlement or be directly connected to it.
- Foreign donations will only be used to buy land in the West Bank if the transactions are legal according to the law in the donor’s country.
- The resolution contains a list of priority areas for land acquisition, including the Jordan Valley and other areas deep in the West Bank.
Between the lines: Because of his political and diplomatic sensitivity, JNF leaders tried to keep this step under the radar. A hard copy of the draft resolution was delivered by hand to councilors, who were asked to keep it discreet, tell me sources familiar with the issue.
- Note: In recent years, however, JNF has been on a limited basis in the West Bank through a sister company.
- JNF said in a statement: “Over the years we have worked all over Israel, including in Judea and Samaria. The meeting on Sunday is intended to approve policy principles based on a legal opinion we have obtained. At this stage, we do not intend to establish a new development area in Judea and Samaria. ‘
What’s next: The representatives of the center-left parties in the JNF board are trying to block the resolution.
- They claim such a major policy shift is inappropriate during an election campaign and could create tensions with the new Biden government.