Danger to Jewish Land in Palestine: Jewish National Fund Monthly Complains of Malicious Trespassing

The Jewish National Fund is meeting with the greatest difficulty in maintaining the boundaries of its reserve lands in the Haifa Bay, in the Emek and in the Sharon, owing to trespassing, malicious as well as incidental, “Karnenu”, the monthly review of the head office of the Jewish National Fund, complains.

the curious feature of the situation, it proceeds, is that there is in draft a bill which will give trespassers using other persons land by pasturing, watering or cutting reads, definite rights to such land if they should continue such practice for two years. Naturally this is an incentive to undisciplined Arabs to occupy the reserve lands of the Jewish National Fund, thus compelling the Fund to place those lands under some form of occupation and cultivation, with the sole purpose of keeping intact areas legally acquired. Lands in reserve for urban and suburban development, as well as for intensive agricultural cultivation, must be turned over to extensive agriculture of afforestation, in order to avoid legislation having the effect of depriving the Jews of these reserve areas.

This, the statement says, places an additional burden on the Keren Kayemeth at a time when every effort should be strained to strengthening its resources. Money for the purchase of land must be diverted for its cultivation and occupation, as well as for many complicated legal processes resulting from claims on the part of Arabs who have been led to believe that they are entitled to land bought by the Jews, at least, if the Jews have not yet settled upon it.

The essential nature of a reserve, it points out, is that the land remains unused against the time when it should be required. It follows that during the period of waiting, the land must be secure from trespassing abd abuse.