15.06.23
Editorial Note
Dr. Uri Davis recently published a book, The JNF/KKL a Charity Complicit with Ethnic Cleansing. On June 8, 2023, Prof. Ilan Pappe held a conversation with Davis in Jerusalem at the Palestinian National Theatre – Hakawati.
Davis is a veteran dissenter who made a career bashing Israel. His biography states “Uri Davis is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute for Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies at University of Durham, and at the Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. In addition, he is Chairman of Al-Beit, the Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Israel; Founder Member of the Movement Against Israeli Apartheid in Palestine (MAIAP); and an Observer-Member of the Palestine National Council. He has published extensively in the field of democracy and human rights in Israel and Palestine.” Davis has also joined Fatah and converted to Islam.
Davis declared himself a pacifist during his army military service pre-1967, as he wrote in his 1972 article, “Journey out of Zionism: The Radicalization of an Israeli Pacifist.” His new book discusses the JNF. Davis discussed the JNF in many of his works, beginning in 1978.
As stated in the invitation, the academic discipline informing this book is critical Applied Anthropology. Critically applied anthropology “focuses on the evaluation of problematic situations to identify the root causes of problems… Essentially, it provides a critical evaluation of situations to advise on the best solution or way programs can improve their approach to problem-solving.”
According to Davis, while the Jewish National Fund (JNF/KKL) was created by a decision of the 5th Zionist Congress convened in Basel in 1901, incorporated in England in 1907 and in Israel in 1954 – “Some +/- 15% of the territory of 1948 apartheid Israel is registered on the name of the JNF/KKL emerging (in stages) as the second largest land owner in 1948 apartheid Israel after the State (+/-75%) leaving just +/-7% as private property rendering (through the 1961 KKL-JNF – Israeli Government Covenant) just over 90% (+/-93%) of the said territory effectively accessible in law and in practice to ‘Jews’ only.” (There is a disclaimer stating that “In former apartheid Republic of South Africa just under 90% (+/-87%) of the territory of the Republics was accessible in law and in practice to ‘Whites’ only.”) The “land tenure in apartheid Israel is dominated by a State-JNF duopoly.” (The disclaimer here states that “The views of Dr Davis and Prof Pappé do not necessarily represent the views of any of the persons and/or institutions involved with the organization of the launch of this book.”)
For Davis, “the JNF is seen today as a ‘green’ and ecological organization that safeguards Israel’s nature, however, very little known about the role it is playing since the end of 1948 war, when it became a principal divider of the spoils of the lands, villages, towns and houses looted and destroyed by the Israeli army during and after the events of the Nakba.”
Davis’ book “is an incisive exploration of the JNF historical and current work, and a study of the agency complex set-up that eventually, in the 1960s, created the Israel Land Administration (ILA) of which the JNF is a crucial component.”
The JNF/KKL has some 45 offices worldwide registered as tax-exempt charities on the ground inter alia of its “mis-representation” as an environmentally friendly NGO committed to the greening of the environment, that, over 120 years “planted over 240 million trees, creating entire eco-systems in the desert, and Israel has become one of the few countries in the world to grow trees,” For Davis “most of JNF forests and their recreational areas have been planted and developed over the ruins and the lands of 1948 ethnically cleansed Palestinian-Arab villages, thereby rendering the JNF complicit with the crime against humanity of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.”
The book is destined for three audiences “Academic Staff and students specializing in Middle East/Palestine/Israel Studies”; “concerned Jurists and NGOs considering challenging the charitable/tax exempt status of the JNF in the relevant Courts of the respective States of which they are citizens”; and “visitors to apartheid Israel.”
As many of his fellow activists, including Ilan Pappe, Davis has spent his entire academic career to prove that Israel is an apartheid state like South Africa. He made this point in his book Israel, an apartheid state, Published in 1987.
His second book on this topic, Apartheid Israel: Possibilities for the Struggle Within, was published by Zed Books in 2003. It described Davis as being at the “forefront of the defense of human rights in Israel since the mid-1960s and at the cutting edge of critical research on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this book, he provides a critical insight into how it was possible for Jewish people, the victims of Nazi genocide in the Second World War, to subject the Palestinian people, beginning with the 1948-49 war, to such criminal policies as mass deportation, population transfers and ethnic cleansing, prolonged military government (with curfews, roadblocks and the like), and economic, social, cultural, civil and political strangulation, punctuated by Apache helicopters strafing civilians and their homes. Since its establishment in 1948 Israel has acted in blatant violation of most UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, including amassing weapons of mass destruction in violation of international law. How is it then possible for this country, its apartheid legislation notwithstanding, to still maintain its reputation in the West as the only democracy in the Middle East and effectively to veil the apartheid cruelty it has perpetrated against the Palestinian people? In the course of outlining answers to these questions, Uri Davis traces the departure of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from its declared political program; its demise beginning with the Oslo peace process; and the struggle within Israel against Israeli apartheid.”
Davis sees no problem with the apartheid regimes of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, where Jews are not allowed to live.
The new book is published by MEMO Publishers, which trades under Ardi Associates, a UK-based publisher of news, opinion, and other content related to the Middle East and North Africa. Their brands include Middle East Monitor, published in English; Monitor De Oriente, published in Spanish; Monitor Do Oriente, published in Portuguese; Palestine Book Awards, Awards to recognize and honor the best new books in English about any aspect of Palestine. However, the Middle East Monitor has been at the front of anti-Israel attacks. It recruits anti-Israel academics who sing to its tunes. By targeting Israel exclusively, it presents an antisemitic approach.
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Event by THE EDUCATIONAL BOOKSHOP and Mahmoud Muna
المسرح الوطني الفلسطيني/ الحكواتي The Palestinian National Theatre
Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
Book Launch & Conversation
Uri Davis | Ilan Pappe
Moderated by Inès Abdel Razek
Please note the new venue.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) was incorporated in England in 1907 and was the principal tool of the Zionist project to obtain land in Palestine. From the onset of the agency’s activities, it was destined to become, and officially granted with the task of becoming the custodian of the land in Palestine on behalf of the “Jewish people”. For many, the JNF is seen today as a ‘green’ and ecological organization that safeguards Israel’s nature, however, very little known about the role it is playing since the end of 1948 war, when it became a principal divider of the spoils of the lands, villages, towns and houses looted and destroyed by the Israeli army during and after the evetns of the Nakba.
This book is an incisive exploration of the JNF historical and current work, and a study of the agency complex set-up that eventually, in the 1960s, created the Israel Land Administration (ILA) of which the JNF is a crucial component.
6:00 pm – Thurday 8th June
The Palestinian National Theatre – Hakawati
Extra information:
The Jewish National Fund/ Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (JNF/KKL) was created by a decision of the 5th Zionist Congress convened in Basel in 1901, incorporated in England in 1907 as the Juedischer Nationalfonds (Keren Kajemeth LeJisroel) Limited, (changed to Keren Kajemeth Le Jisroel Limited in July 1921 and to Keren Kayemeth Leisrael, Limited in August 1925); and in Israel in 1954 as Keren Kayemeth Leisrael.
Some +/- 15% of the territory of 1948 apartheid Israel is registered on the name of the JNF/KKL emerging (in stages) as the second largest land owner in 1948 apartheid Israel after the State (+/-75%) leaving just +/-7% as private property rendering (through the 1961 KKL-JNF – Israeli Government Covenant) just over 90% (+/-93%) of the said territory effectively accessible in law and in practice to “Jews” only* Thus land tenure in apartheid Israel is dominated by a State-JNF duopoly**.
The JNF/KKL has some 45 offices world-wide registered as tax-exempt charities on the ground inter alia of its mis-representation as an environmentally friendly NGO committed to the greening of the environment, having [f]or over 120 years … planted over 240 million trees, creating entire eco-systems in the desert, and Israel has become one of the few countries in the world to grow trees for over 100 years (https://www.jnf.co.uk/plant-trees-2) – except that most of JNF forests and their recreational areas have been planted and developed over the ruins and the lands of 1948 ethnically cleansed Palestinian-Arab villages, thereby rendering the JNF complicit with the crime against humanity of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
The academic discipline informing this book is critical Applied Anthropology. As the Title and the Sub-title suggest, the author*** seeks to address correlatively three specific inter-related audiences (additional to the general public). One: Academic Staff and students specializing in Middle East/Palestine/Israel Studies (utilizing specifically the documentation and other essays); One, concerned Jurists and NGOs considering challenging the charitable/tax exempt status of the JNF in the relevant Courts of the respective States of which they are citizens (utilizing specifically the anthology of the Author’s first-hand eye-witness in situ Reports as supporting evidence); and One, visitors to apartheid Israel (utilising the book in toto as a guide-book on their sojourn in JNF forests and recreational areas).
*In former apartheid Republic of South Africa just under 90% (+/-87%) of the territory
of the Republics was accessible in law and in practice to “Whites” only.
**The views of Dr Davis and Prof Pappé do not necessarily represent the views of any of the persons
and/or institutions involved with the organization of the launch of this book.
***It is Educational Bookshop particular pleasure to have the launch of Dr Uri Davis’ seminal book in Jerusalem
coincide with the date of his birth in Jerusalem in 1943 80 years ago. Happy Birthday, Dr Uri & Many Happy Returns !!!
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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221229-the-jnf-kkl-a-charity-complicit-with-ethnic-cleansing/
The JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit with Ethnic Cleansing
December 29, 2022 at 10:24 am
By Omar Ahmed
Book Author(s) :Uri Davis
Published Date :January 2023
Publisher :MEMO Publishers
Paperback :491 pages pages
ISBN-13 :978-1-901924-015
The JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit with Ethnic Cleansing by academic and civil rights activist Dr Uri Davis is the latest offering by MEMO Publishers and brings to light the on-going “greenwashing” policies of the Apartheid State of Israel, which has been facilitated with the collusion of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), an internationally-recognised charity that pre-dates the establishment of the Jewish state. As such, it is argued that the JNF is complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
The “alternative guide-book” to the organisation is a product of Davis’ years of scholarship and field-research and consists of relevant documents and case-studies carried out by the author over the past two decades. An introduction is also provided by esteemed anti-Zionist Israeli historian Ilan Pappé who describes the work as “an exposure of what really lies behind the past, present and future actions of the JNF” and an “exploration of the crimes Israel committed against the Palestinians”, which are continuing to this day.
“The JNF is registered, falsely, with the UN as an NGO, projecting itself abroad as one that is committed to sustainable development,” writes Davis. As a registered charity, the organisation also “benefits from tax exemptions in most member states of the UN.”
The JNF/KKL (Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel) was founded in 1901, projected as a non-profit organisation with the goal of purchasing and developing land in Palestine for Jewish settlement. It was initially registered in Britain as a company limited by guarantee, and following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, was incorporated as the JNF as it is currently known.
Following the signing of a covenant between the JNF and Israel in 1961, contends Davis, the charity and the state became “partners on an almost equal footing in the administration of 93 percent of the territory” in Israel’s pre-1967 borders. However, the JNF’s activities have extended beyond this, having been implicated in the destruction of several Palestinian Arab villages in the post-67 territories.
BOOK REVIEW: Tolerance Is a Wasteland: Palestine and the Culture of Denial
As part of its role in the development of Israel, the JNF continues to work on land reclamation, afforestation, and conservation projects. Yet the controversial charity has faced accusations of discriminatory land policies and practices, and of participating in the displacement of Palestinian communities.
These include the forced eviction of Palestinian communities from land that it controls, as well as its involvement in the construction of Jewish-only settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. According to Davis, the JNF’s environmental projects are used as a cover for these actions. The JNF “hides the core of Israeli apartheid under the cloak of an environmental charity”.
We learn that many of the afforestation projects overseen by the JNF are named after countries, such as Canada Park, British Park and the South African Forest as a part of a public relations scheme for the “only democracy in the Middle East”.
However, the ominous history behind these projects have been omitted by the JNF. Most of the forests planted by the organisation have been established over the ruins of some 500 Palestinian Arab villages, with photographic evidence of their undeniable existence still very much visible, based on Davis’ field research which is included in the book. This is despite the best efforts of the JNF to cover up these documented war crimes.
For example, Canada Park was planted over the ruins of three destroyed Palestinian Arab villages: ‘Imwas, Yalu and Beit Nabu. In the case of ‘Imwas, which has been completely obliterated, the only surviving structure is the shrine of Abu ‘Ubydah Ibn Al-Jarrah.
“The planting of the British Park over the lands of destroyed Palestinian Arab villages, including ‘Ajjur, and the development of recreational facilities in JNF forests cannot be described as ‘charitable’, and should not be granted tax exempt status under British law. Rather it ought to be classified as an act and as a policy of complicity in war crimes,” Davis explains.
The JNF/KKL… is an eye-opening and detailed expose of Israel’s attempt at greenwashing its past and present crimes against Palestinians. As Davis advocates, the JNF must be held accountable with its status as a charity in UN member states amended in reflection and recognition over its complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Moreover, the publication sheds light on the complicity of the countries where JNF affiliates are based, whose funding actively contributes to these dubious “environmental” projects.
Get a copy of the book here.
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https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230110-memo-launches-the-jnf-kkl-a-charity-complicit-with-ethnic-cleansing-by-dr-uri-davis/
MEMO launches ‘The JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit With Ethnic Cleansing’ by Dr Uri Davis
Davis highlights how the JNF has used setting up parks and planting trees to erase Palestinian villages and forms part of Israel’s apartheid regime
January Muhammad Hussein January 10, 2023 at 8:11 am
MEMO hosted the book launch of JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit With Ethnic Cleansing, written by Dr Uri Davis, an Israeli academic and independent researcher who is noted to be a defender of Palestinian human rights, in London last night.
Held in London’s P21 Gallery, the event started off with an introduction by MEMO‘s Nasim Ahmed, who highlighted that the book reveals one of the pillars of Israel’s ethnic cleansing, and presented a video produced by Kholoud Al-Ajarma which exposes the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) key role in that crime.
The JNF/KKL: A Charity Complicit with Ethnic Cleansing
Dr Davis then shed light on the ongoing apartheid that Israel, its government and its forces are imposing on the Palestinian population. He called on people to show him any other member state of the UN which gives its constitutional rights to only one part of its population. “Show me just one more state. And [so far] there hasn’t been any answer.”
Stating that Israel is a racist endeavour, Davis expressed his belief that Jews do not have a specific right to self-determination. His main argument for that is that “there is no Jewish people other than in the framework of Zionist interpretation”, attempting to tackle mainstream Zionist arguments.
Instead, he said, “Zionism politicises Jewish religion”, and the “right of self-determination is the right of the indigenous people of Palestine.” He also submitted the idea that Israel should be constitutionally like Switzerland, which identifies citizens by their respective languages and does not discriminate.
READ: Jewish National Fund Board to vote on $18m purchase of Palestinian land in Jordan Valley
Praising the book, Professor Nur Masalha recalled his travels throughout Palestine and the evidence of ethnic and cultural cleansing he witnessed. The JNF, he said, told Israel that if it doesn’t bulldoze historic Palestinian houses quickly, then Palestinian refugees would return and try to take them back.
The event ended with a lively question and answer session, in which the audience had the chance to discover more about the JNF and the Palestinian history it has erased.
The audience and visitors also had the chance to buy copies of Uri Davis’ book, which Ilan Pappe – professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter – described as “an exposure of what really lies behind the past, present and future actions of the JNF. But more than anything else, it is an incisive exploration of the crimes Israel committed against the Palestinians and which still today are at best misrepresented and at worst denied outside the state of Israel. This book will be one of the best tools for those wishing to confront these misrepresentation and denial for the sake of peace and justice in the land of Palestine.”
To purchase the book click here.
OPINION: Planting trees in the Negev is not ‘forestation’, it’s about ethnic cleansing
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