Arabs squat on Jewish property by Temple Mount

Arab squatters are living illegally in this strategic Jewish-owned apartment complex

JERUSALEM – Arab squatters are living illegally in a strategic Jewish-owned apartment complex accessing an entrance leading to Jerusalem's Western Wall and Temple Mount, WND has learned.

The apartment in question was purchased by a Jewish organization that collects hundreds of millions of dollars in Jewish donor funds for the stated purpose of Jewish settlement.

The Jewish National Fund, or JNF, seemingly has done little to boot the Arab squatters from its property and has turned down offers from other Jewish groups to purchase the strategic apartment for Jews to live in.

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The apartment in question is located just inside Herod's Gate, one of eight gates that access Jerusalem's Old City and the walkways to the Western Wall and Temple Mount. The property is about 3,300 square feet and is considered strategic since it comprises the archway accessing the path in the area to the Temple Mount.

The apartment is in the Old City neighborhood known as the Muslim Quarter, which was once a Jewish and Muslim neighborhood but became mostly Muslim after deadly anti-Jewish riots broke out in 1929 over access to the Western Wall. Before that the area was called the Mixed Quarter – meaning both Jewish- and Muslim-inhabited.

According to information obtained by WND, the Herod's Gate apartment was purchased in 1991 by Himnuta, a group that buys real estate on behalf of the JNF, using funds from the Jewish organization. Upon purchasing the apartment, the JNF did not place Jewish families inside.

WND has learned Arabs are living illegally in the JNF-purchased apartment.

Jewish groups speaking to WND said they offered to purchase the key property to allow Jews to move in, but the JNF turned them down. One of the Jewish groups said it was willing to pay a rate "much higher" than the apartment's value and would take on any legal requirements to boot the Arab squatters.

Real estate ownership in Jerusalem's Old City is widely considered a sensitive matter. Previous Israeli-Palestinian peace proposals tentatively divided parts of the city based on Jewish or Arab residence.

The JNF collects donations from Jews purportedly to purchase land and properties for Jewish settlement. The JNF charter, viewable on its website, calls itself the "Jewish People's trustee of the land ... work[ing] to enable Jewish settlement."

The JNF office in Jerusalem said it had no comment regarding the Herod's Gate apartment.

Palestinians, U.N. build on Jewish-owned land

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The report of Arabs illegally inhabiting a strategic JNF-owned apartment follows a series of WND stories detailing hundreds of acres of key properties in Jerusalem purchased by the JNF for Jewish settlement were instead utilized for the illegal construction of dozens of Arab apartment buildings housing thousands and U.N. facilities.

The JNF seemingly has taken little action to evict the Arab squatters from its land, while the Israeli government, which manages the areas, did not halt the illegal Arab construction on the Jewish-owned properties.

The Jewish-owned lands recently were blocked off from Jewish sections of Jerusalem and isolated to Arab neighborhoods by Israel's security fence.

The Jerusalem lands in question include over 200 acres in the northern Jerusalem neighborhoods of Qalandiya and Kfar Akev, located near an old Israeli airport, and about 50 acres in a north Jerusalem suburb known as Shoafat, adjacent to the Jewish neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev. The lands were purchased legally on behalf of JNF using Jewish donations in the early 1900s, immediately after the organization was founded in 1901 with the specific charge of repurchasing and developing the land of Israel for Jewish settlement.

A tour of Qalandiya and Kfar Akev found dozens of Arab apartment complexes, a Palestinian refugee camp and a U.N. school for Palestinians constructed on the land.

According to officials in Israel's Housing Ministry, Arabs first constructed facilities illegally in Qalandiya and Kfar Akev between 1948 and 1967, prior to the 1967 Six-Day War during which Israel retook control of the entire city of Jerusalem.

Qalandiya, still owned by JNF, came under the management of the Israeli government's Land Authority in the late 1960s.

Ministry officials say the bulk of illegal Arab construction in Qalandiya took place in the past 20 years, with construction of several new Arab apartment complexes in just the past two years.

Neither the Israeli government nor JNF took any concrete measures to stop the illegal building, which continues today with at least one apartment complex in Qalandiya under construction.

Jerusalem's Shoafat neighborhood, which has an estimated value of $3 million, was also purchased by JNF in the early 1900s and fell under the management of the Israel Land Authority about 40 years ago. Much of the illegal Arab construction in Shoafat took place in the past 15 years, with some apartment complexes built as late as 2004.

In Qalandiya, Kfar Akev and Shoafat, Israel's security fence cordons off the Arab sections of the JNF lands from the rest of Jewish Jerusalem.

Internal JNF documents obtained by WND outline illegal Arab construction on the Jewish-owned land. A survey of Qalandiya summarized on JNF stationery conducted in December 2000 and signed by a JNF worker states, "In a lot of the plots I find Arabs are living and building illegally and also working the JNF land without permission."

The JNF survey goes on to document illegal construction of Arab apartment complexes and the U.N. school under the property management of Israel's Land Authority.

JNF group misleading donors?

In response to the WND report regarding the Jerusalem lands, JNF CEO Russell Robinson sent statements to concerned donors that the illegal construction occurred during periods the Jerusalem land was occupied by Jordan.

"During that time the Jordanian government oversaw all activities, including the U.N. building. Under international law, this makes matters pertaining to the land more complicated than what [WND describes]," states Robinson's letter to donors.

Jordan, together with other Arab countries, attacked Israel after its founding in 1948 and administered eastern sections of Jerusalem following an armistice agreement. Jordan attacked again in 1967, and Israel liberated the entire city of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War. During the period of Jordanian control, some new construction took place, including in areas previously purchased by Jews.

1991 photo of Shoafat shows region entirely forest land

But WND obtained aerial photos of the two JNF sites in question, which Robinson claimed were illegally built upon prior to 1967.

A photo taken in 1991 of one of the sites, Shoafat, shows the entire area was a forest – meaning all illegal Arab construction took place after 1967 while the land was under Jewish control.

An aerial photo taken in 1967 of the second site, Qalandiya, which is now a large Arab town, finds construction of a U.N. building but few other sites, indicating the vast majority of Arab construction – dozens of large apartment complexes – occurred under JNF control. WND originally reported some of the construction took place prior to 1967, but the bulk of the building occurred the past few years, under Jewish management.

1967 aerial photo of Qalandiya region

Robinson did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Israel: Land bought for Jews must be shared with Arabs

Last month, Israel's attorney general ruled the Israeli government, which manages JNF properties, must equally allocate properties to both Jews and Arabs. The JNF has been allowing the Israeli government to manage the lands it has purchased, in part using private donor funds for the purpose of Jewish settlement.

According to Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz's ruling, the Israeli government managers of JNF lands "must adhere to the principles of equality" and are "forbidden from discriminating against people based on their nationality, even when the land in question is owned by the JNF."

Mazuz was weighing in on a Supreme Court case in which Arabs wanted to purchase properties on JNF land in northern Israel. The JNF placed the properties under Israeli government management.

'Leftist millionaires' influencing JNF?

Illegal Arab construction on Jewish-owned lands is not limited to Jerusalem. Arabs reportedly are building without permits on JNF-owned property in the Galilee and in areas outside Bethlehem. Due to Israeli military laws, Jews are barred from building on the JNF lands near Bethlehem. Also, Arabs are living illegally in JNF-owned apartments in strategic areas in Jerusalem's Old City.

Asked to explain why the esteemed Jewish organization would allow Arabs to illegally occupy strategic land purchased for Jews, one JNF source involved in land acquisition pointed to what he claimed was the "disproportionate influence" over the organization by a small group of Jewish multimillionaires in New Jersey who lead major public fundraising efforts for the JNF.

The source said the group of wealthy New Jersey Jews, all of whom are real estate moguls and many of whom invest in projects as a team, are largely also donors to leftist causes associated with former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who advocates the division of Jerusalem and an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.

The key lands in Jerusalem upon which the JNF has allowed Arabs to illegally construct are part of the areas Peres has advocated handing to the Palestinians.

Until he was elected president earlier this month, Peres served as Israel's Minister for the Development of the Negev Desert, which the JNF has been leading a massive campaign to populate, with the goal of bringing 250,000 Jewish residents there.

Peres' face is prominently featured on JNF advertisements and material.

"The wealthy Jews are highly politically motivated, support leftist causes and are involved in JNF affairs," charged the JNF source. "It is unfair to Jews worldwide who donate to the JNF with certain expectations, such as that their donations will be used for Jewish settlement in Jerusalem."

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