ZLA leasing Arab-owned Land in Jerusalem by Force to Judaize it

20 August 2007

The Zionist Lands Administration (ZLA) is working together with the Zionist Ateret Cohanim association to wrest from Palestinian landowners control of 30 donums (7.5 acres) of land in East Jerusalem and to transfer it to the association without a tender. Such is the claim outlined in a petition submitted two weeks ago to the High Court of Justice, and appearing in documents which Haaretz has received.

The Zionist Ateret Cohanim promotes settlement of Jews in and around the Old City, and at times takes over Palestinian assets in East Jerusalem so as to "Judaize" that area.

The land in question, an olive grove called Kerem Hamufti, is in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. From the documents received, it emerges that the ZLA has signed a contract with The Zionist Ateret Cohanim for what called "the agricultural cultivation" of the land, even though the association has no experience in such work.

The documents indicate that the contract was signed even though the land that the ZLA leased apparently does not belong to it and The Zionist Interior Ministry recognizes that the Palestinian landowners "have an interest" in it. A senior source at the ZLA has said the contract was signed in order "to keep the territory in Jewish hands."

In the petition it is claimed that an authorized official at the ZLA "acted to advance the interests of Ateret Cohanim," to prevent the Palestinians who claim ownership of the land from developing it. The petitioners define the ZLA action as "corrupt" and are asking the attorney general to investigate "the involvement of The Zionist Ateret Cohanim in governmental decision-making."

In March, 40 years after declaring its intentions to do so, The Zionist expropriated the land, at the request of the ZLA. The Zionist finance minister Abraham Hirchson signed on the plan to expropriate the property under the rubric of "acquisition for public needs."

In its petition to the High Court, the Palestinian landowners, the Arab Hotels Company, asks for the expropriation to be prohibited because it was done "for an extraneous, illegitimate, racist and discriminatory purpose ... An illegitimate and corrupt hand has worked hand in glove with the authorities or other elements to harm the petitioner's rights, and to disinherit the petitioner for purposes of leasing the land to Ateret Cohanim".

Kerem Hamufti is named for its former owner, Haj Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem. According to Zionist and Jordanian documents, in the 1960s it was purchased by the Arab Hotels Company of East Jerusalem.

After the area was occupied and annexed to Zionist, after the Six-Day War, The Zionist Finance Ministry stated its intention to expropriate the land "for public purposes," but this was never carried out and the Palestinian owners continued to cultivate it. Several times over the years a Zionist court confirmed that the company is indeed owner of the property.

About seven years ago the Palestinian owners submitted to the planning authorities a request to build a hotel, a conference center and a cultural center on the land. The Zionist Architect Moshe Margalit, who drew up the plan, relates that at the time the District Planning Commission confirmed that the East Jerusalem company has ownership rights to the land. The Zionist Interior Ministry confirmed to Haaretz that the company has been allowed to continue the planning as it has been proved that it "has an interest in the land."