A total of 8,500 claims for former Arab lands have been settled by direct negotiations between the Arab claimants and the Government, it was announced here today in connection with the dedication in the Jerusalem Corridor of a new village for Israeli Arabs whose lands were appropriated by the Government for development or security reasons.
The village, the seventh in a series of new settlements for Arabs, is named Beit Nakuba, after the village abandoned by the Arabs during the War of Independence. In festive ceremonies today, representatives of Arab and Jewish villages in the area greeted the newcomers to the village and pledged cooperation for their speedy integration.
Homes and properties in Beit Nakuba will be turned over to 33 Arab families who remained in Israel after they fled from the original village. The new property represents compensation by the Government for the lands they left behind.
Some 12,500,000 pounds ($4,167,000) have been paid in compensation by the Israeli Government and 35,000 dunams (8,750 acres) of alternative cultivated lands were given to the Arabs in exchange for the abandoned property. Another 3,000 claims involving 9,000 dunams (2,250 acres) and compensation payments, are expected to be settled within the next 18 months.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
