CFPN strongly condemns a proposed new policy by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to acquire private Palestinian land in the West Bank for the purpose of Jewish settlement expansion. In our protest we join with Peace Now in Israel, Americans for Peace Now and other Jewish organizations, including the Union for Reform Judaism.
The plan would have JNF purchase private Palestinian land within and adjacent to a wide range of existing settlements, including settlements deep in the heart of the West Bank, such as the Jordan Valley and the South Hebron Hills.
The JNF has operated unofficially in the West Bank for years, through proxies, but this current initiative would mean the powerful organization would now officially and publicly fund settlement growth. And it would likely do so to a much greater degree than in the past. With its huge budget, the JNF can offer a gold mine of resources for settlement construction.
The change in the JNF’s direction is the result of a new, hard-right leadership installed in late 2020. Some members of the organization’s wider board were taken by surprise by the decision. JNF Deputy Chair Alon Tal has expressed his opposition and his concern that the organization has been “hijacked by narrow interests.” The board has deferred a vote on the management proposal until after the March 23 Israeli elections.
As Peace Now points out, the JNF plan is one more step that endangers the possibility of a two-state solution. It would further creeping annexation of the occupied territories and bring us closer to a permanent, undemocratic one-state reality. Peace Now has produced a detailed background report on the JNF decision and its implications. Read the report here:https://peacenow.org.il/en/jewish-national-fund-to-officially-start-acquiring-more-land-in-the-west-bank
We salute the U.S. Reform movement for speaking out against this insidious initiative. We agree with Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, that love of Israel requires protest of actions that undermine the safety, security, democracy and moral character of Israel.
