A 1945 report about land purchases in Palestine is yet another piece of documented evidence that not only did Arabs in Mandatory Palestine help build the Jewish state, they profited significantly from it.
The insistence of the pro-Palestinian movement on the 'right of return' of Arabs who left Mandatory Palestine prior to the creation of the Jewish State ignores the fact that most of the land was literally bought and paid for by individual Jews as well as Jewish organizations, and sold happily to them by the same people activists and the Palestinian Authority insist must be granted the right to reclaim their land.
Under the British Mandate for Palestine, it was a crime to sell land without the express approval of the British governing authority. However, that did not stop many Arabs from selling off land to Jews. In complete contradiction to the current narrative of Palestinian connection to the lands within the state of Israel, the massive criminal real estate market offered to Zionists by local Arabs was a huge criminal issue for the British. This “illegal” market is fully documented well into the 1940s and, whether they like it or not, is the true historical testimony of how Arabs in Palestine, who now identify as “Palestinians” aided the Zionists in forming the Jewish State.
In 1939, An updated set of rules for the Mandate of Palestine called “The White Paper" was issued by Neville Chamberlain. The white paper came on the heels of yet another Arab revolt that plagued Britain during the Mandatory period and was meant to create order between the many rowdy factions within the land. The paper was considered devastating to the Jewish “Yishuv," the Hebrew name for the pre-state Zionist movement in Israel. Many of the laws restricted Jews from immigrating to Palestine and building upon an already significant Jewish infrastructure; included in those laws was also a ban on purchasing land from Arabs.
🧵 cont: most Jews returning to Eretz Israel settled in our ancient cities with the Old Yishuv. In 1939 Arabs revolted making the British sign the white paper to limit Jews escaping persecution in, while Arabs migrated rapidly from neighbouring lands to keep Jews a minority pic.twitter.com/bwLUtWbX2a
— Max✡️𓂆🤍🍁 (@lilbuddymax) November 29, 2022
Generally speaking, both the Jewish and Arab leadership clearly took The White Paper with a grain of salt, since virtually all activities barred by the British were practiced frequently. For the Jews, breaking the laws was a necessity for their survival; the Nazis were on a mission to make Europe 'Judenrein', and countries like America were denying Jews refuge, sending them back to Europe was a death sentence. The so-called 'Zionist dream' was in actuality a necessity for survival. The local Arab villagers were far less concerned with any grand ideology at the time and simply violated The White Paper because it paid well.
Other things, like the 1939 White Paper that *on the eve of the Holocaust* closed off immigration to the Land of Israel and left millions of Jews to die in Europe, was so bad after all. https://t.co/9cdPxRsYJA
— Im Tirtzu (@IMTIzionism) January 23, 2020
A robust real estate market where Jews purchased land from Arabs existed before The White Paper as well, but like many illegal markets, it flourished after its prohibition. The Zionist's goal was to create a continuous strip where Jews could live in relative safety and use that strip as a backbone for the borders of a future Jewish state. It was not simply that Arabs unanimously agreed to sell lands to Jews, but rather that due to a combination of a large backing of global philanthropists and a booming economy within the Jewish community, Zionists could offer huge sums for each yard sold. The Arabs naturally were happy to receive what many considered life-changing money in exchange for the few dunams they owned.
A data-rich study on the sale of Arab land to Jews was released in November of 1945, called the “Land Transfer Inquiry Committee Report”. The report, written for the most part by Jewish National Fund (JNF) executives, Yosef Weitz and Abraham Granovsky, collected hundreds of testimonies from Arabs about the Jewish purchase of land.
only 9.4% from the Fellahin".
— (دانش بن عرفان) בן אירפן הדני (@DanzDaniel4) August 16, 2020
On 31 December 1944, out of 1,732.63 dunums of land owned in Palestine by large Jewish Corporations and private owners, about 44% was in possession of Jewish National Fund. The table below shows the land ownership of Palestine by large
The report factually concluded that even if all the recorded testimonies were wrong, Jews did in fact need Arab assistance in purchasing lands behind the backs of the British. “Unless they enter into collusion with the Jews to defeat the spirit of the White Paper, Jews will not be able to enter improperly into possession of the land within a restricted area. If the parties whom the law is designed to defend conspire to evade the law, then it is indeed difficult for the authorities to enforce it and to defend them.”
Nevertheless, when the State of Israel was declared in May of 1948, the local Arabs joined the six invading Arab armies in an attempt to topple the Zionist state before cemented. Yet, the motives behind Palestinian Arabs are put into question with such valuable reports like the JNF-led one. Did they sell to Jews and take their money believing that one day they will be able to reclaim it when the Jews were driven from the land? Another unique observation could also be made of the Zionist establishment of that time. The Jews in British Palestine purchased, developed, and occasionally fought for every foot of land the State of Israel was founded on.
Today, Arabs calling themselves Palestinians are still illegally selling land to Jews, and often they and their families are being killed for it. In a telling law that shows the xenophobia of Palestinian society and emulates elements of an apartheid regime, the Palestinian Authority forbids the sale of land to Jews. Even the sale of land not under PA control, like in Israel's capital Jerusalem can lead to imprisonment or state-sanctioned 'mob justice' where the sellers are lynched by their so-called neighbors.
Palestinian Authority is a apartheid regime saying they will not allow a Jew to live there. They also impose the death penalty on anyone selling land to a Jew and pay Arabs a lifetime pension to murder Jews.
— Morton Klein (@MortonAKlein7) May 26, 2021
The fact that these sales happened throughout the last 100 years is undeniable. From Mandate era land records to studies like the JNF had commenced there are troves of documents proving it. What is disturbing though is while Arabs in Palestine eagerly took the money from Jews, a majority of the world believes that Israel should return the land. The 'Free Sheikh Jarrah' campaign proves this.
from East Jerusalem by the British led Jordanian army ( Arab Legion) . Sorry Palestinians, NO JERUSALEM CAPITAL FOR YOU!
— Shawn ||שושנה 🪬🦁🌞 (@SDrrizzy) November 25, 2022
Many who brandish bumper stickers or add that slogan to their social media profiles ignore the fact that Jewish families have land titles from the Ottoman era that prove ownership over much of the land in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. They manipulate the messaging and make it seem as if Israel is simply kicking Arabs out of their homes when the simple truth is the families agreed decades ago to pay rent and since the second intifada have not. What they are advocating for is in fact the theft of land from Jews who legally own the land and have legally owned it, some for well over a century.
Jordan stole land & property from Jews & gave to Arabs. Shimon HaTzaddik was renamed Sheikh Jarrah. Jordan has official documents proving JEWISH ownership! Here is a copy! pic.twitter.com/hXLQyvn4P7
— (((A. Zionist))) (@a_zionist) November 14, 2022
Unlike modern propaganda narratives echoed by too many, much of Israel was literally paid for with cash both illegally and legally, depending on the year. Arabs were not only rewarded for these sales but encouraged other family members to do the same. Also unlike modern perceptions, Israel is the only country that is being pressured into returning lands purchased at prime rates from people that now claim a nationality.
