The Dayan plan would rescind the current ban on land purchases in the administered Arab territories by individual Jews and private corporations. In order to avoid “speculative purchases,” the plan would require corporations to do their buying through the Israel Land Authority. If the Land Authority is not able to make the purchase, individuals would be permitted to do so subject to confirmation by a special ministerial committee. There are no geographic limits to the purchase of such lands.
The plan calls for the establishment of a buffer zone in the Rafiah area between the Gaza Strip and Sinai. And for the construction of a coastal city, Yamit, in northern Sinai. At the meeting of the Secretariat, Dayan did not insist on financial commitments for Yamit this year. His chief concern was its security aspects and he agreed that for the time being Yamit would serve as an urban center for Jewish settlements in Pithat Rafiah and may only eventually become a harbor town.
The plan also calls for extensive efforts to improve living conditions of Arab refugees, particularly in the Gaza Strip. It would encourage industrialization in the territories through loans and technical assistance, one of the objectives being to create employment opportunities locally so that Arabs would not be attracted to jobs in Israel. The plan at the moment is an election document. Before it is implemented it will have to be approved by the new government created after the Oct. elections.
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.
