A12 Backgrounder: Keren Kayemth LeIsrael / Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF)

A12 Backgrounder: Keren Kayemth LeIsrael / Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF)

[Why we are marching to 16th & Arapahoe on August 12]

Pre-State History

The Keren Kayemth LeIsrael / Jewish National Fund (KKL/JNF Israeli HQ: http://www.kkl.org.il/ ; US Branch: http://www.jnf.org/ ) was one of the first active entities established by the World Zionist Organization, modeled in part on the suggestions of Theodore Herzl (the founder of Zionism via “Der Judenstaat”, chapter 3) and in part on the proposal for a “national fund” made by Hermann Schapira (1840-1898) at the First Zionist Congress in Basle, Switzerland in 1897. The KKL/JNF came into official existence at the Fifth Zionist Congress (also at Basle) in 1901 with the specific purpose of purchasing land for Zionist colonization in Palestine.

Beginning with a series of fundraisers and fund raising schemes (The “Golden Book,” JNF stamps, and the “Blue Boxes” i.e. donation boxes that were positioned at all Zionist businesses, the few pro-Zionist synagogues, and many personal homes). In 1903 the KKL/JNF acquired its first land parcel in Palestine, 50 acres near Hadera. From this point on the KKL/JNF began purchasing land for Zionist colonization, often from absentee Arab landlords resident in Istanbul, resulting in the dispossession of the Palestinian fellahin (peasantry). For more on this process, see Rashid Khalidi “Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness.” The most famous of the KKL/JNF’s land purchases was the acquisition of Marj Ibn Amer (the Valley of Jezreel) in 1921.

The KKL/JNF also played a leading role in the “Redeeming the Land” movement among the Zionist colonists, which essentially translated into changing Palestine to make it more compatible for the European colonists. This included a forestation program (which resulted in another KKL/JNF fund raising device, the “Plant a Tree in Israel” program), draining wetlands, and other permanent changes to the environment meant to facilitate Zionist colonization.

History after the establishment of Israel

After the establishment of the Israeli state, the JNF redirected its efforts into land development, as land acquisition was no longer an issue. This new focus provided two benefits to the colonists, namely it advanced the modification of Palestine to make it desirable for European immigrants and it played a significant role in providing employment to new colonists. This amounted to massive Forestation programs in the Galilee and near Al Quds (Jerusalem) and the creation of new settlements in the Jerusalem Corridor, Galilee, the Taanach and Adullam regions.

After the June 1967 Israeli attack on its neighbors and the successful conquest of Gaza, East Al Quds and the West Bank (the Occupied Palestinian Territories), the KKL/JNF immediately expanded its operations into the newly conquered lands.

In the 1980’s the KKL/JNF began to focus consolidating the Israeli hold on the regions that remained largely dominated by Palestinians, specifically the Negev and Galilee. In the Galilee most of the Jewish-only “hilltop” settlements meant to consolidate Israel’s hold on the region were established by the KKL/JNF. In the Negev the focus was on colonization (to surround and control the movement of the Bedouin), forestation, and various water projects.

Relationship to the Israeli Government

The KKL/JNF is structured as a private, multi-national corporation with a vast array of fully or majority owned subsidiaries in Israel and throughout the world. Nevertheless, “Despite this fact the JNF is a national government body defined as a private company. The Finance Ministry also claims that the JNF is a national body. In a letter written by Yuval Rachlevsky, the supervisor of wages at the Finance Ministry, to the director general of the JNF in May 1999, he wrote, “The JNF is a public body, or at least pseudo-public, inasmuch as the monies that reach it originate from assets that belong to the public (revenues from the leasing of the lands) and it is therefore actually a body that relies on the public coffers….This being the case the norms that are customary to public bodies should apply to it….” (David Blougrund, “The Jewish National Fund” Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies, September 2001)

This is further reinforced by a series of state actions on behalf of the KKL/JNF such as the JNF Law (1953), the Covenant Between the State of Israel and the KKL (1961), the pseudo-Constitutional “Basic Law: Israel Land” (1961), the mandate of the Israel Land Authority, and others. Like other governmental agencies, though not like most private corporations, the KKL/JNF is also specifically exempted from most Israeli taxes. Despite the fact that the KKL/JNF remains primarily concerned with land and land development, “The JNF has tremendous influence in many areas in Israel: education, tourism, agriculture, employment, development and even the Israel Broadcasting Authority.” (David Blougrund, op. cit.). Some 70% of the Israeli Jewish population lives on the 13% of Israeli land that is legally owned by the JNF.

Legalized Anti-Arab Discrimination

Through the Jewish National Fund’s integrated relationship with the Israel Land Authority (ILA in English), non-Jews - including Palestinian citizens of Israel – were fully excluded from receiving new land leases (according to the Basic Law cited above, no state land – which included KKL/JNF land – is sold to private parties). In 2000, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled that the ILA could not discriminate against Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship, leading to voracious opposition from the KKL/JNF that even threatened to sever it ties with the Israeli government as a consequence. For more, see: Stewart Ain and Joshua Mitnick “Land Sales To Arabs Could Force JNF Changes” The Jewish Week (NY) 02/04/05. To quote the KKL/JNF itself: “KKL-JNF’s central goal, stated also in its articles of association as a company, is Jewish community building - on its lands, of course. This objective is a direct continuance of the Law of Return, which also applies exclusively to Jews with the purpose of securing the Jewish State. … The existence of land assets as a perpetual possession of the Jewish People to be used for Jewish communities building is a fundamental value in our legal system. If a Zionist entity in a Jewish state would not be allowed to be the owner of land to be designated for developing Jewish communities, what unique value does that state have?” (KKL/JNF)

Hasbara Activity

Beyond continued land and water projects to advance and consolidate the Zionist project in Palestine, the KKL/JNF has also become a global leader in Hasbara (Israeli propaganda) activity throughout the world. Hasbara Programs include:

Ø The “Caravan for Democracy” Israel advocacy project

Ø Is a sponsoring member of the “Israel on Campus Coalition” to advance Israel solidarity on U.S. college campuses

Ø Taglit-Birthright Israel Solidarity Tours for free to Jewish people

Ø The KKL/JNF Speaker’s Bureau

Ø “Operation Security Blanket” which among other things finances the construction of “security roads”

Ø An “Educational Department” to train teachers and children proper Israel solidarity

Ø And others…

So, I believe the above makes the case adequately that the KKL/JNF office in Denver makes a legitimate protest target.

Denver, CO - Mountain States Office

(Serving NM and UT)
1515 Arapahoe St. - Park Central
Tower One - Suite 1600
Denver, CO 80202
303-573-7095
fx: 303-835-1185
Stanley Kamlet, Regional Consultant
Roberta Witkow, Consultant