MOSHE DANN

Peace Now's latest "expose"-–charging that Israeli settlements are built on "private Palestinian land"–-is a fraud. Nonetheless its allegations, accepted as fact, became front page news in newspapers across the world.

Peace Now’s report purports to show that Israel has stolen privately owned Palestinian lands to construct settlements in violation of Israel's own laws: "Nearly 40 percent of the total land area on which the settlements sit, according to official data of the Israeli Civil Administration (the government agency in charge of the settlements) is privately owned by Palestinians. The settlement enterprise has undermined not only the collective property rights of the Palestinians as a people, but also the private property rights of individual Palestinian landowners."

Peace Now is unable, however, to produce any official data. Its spokesman admitted it has no evidence to back up its claim of illegally acquired land, except some "digital" information (unavailable) which, it says, was stolen from the offices of the Civil Administration. In fact, Peace Now says the authorities refuse to provide it with the official maps and designations on which all settlement activity is based.

Where then does Peace Now get its information? Settlement residents assert that in some cases privately owned land was purchased from Arabs and that relations were normal until Peace Now agitators pushed Arabs to complain. Much of the "data" apparently comes from interviews with Arabs who claim but cannot prove property rights.

Asked why Palestinians have not come forth to claim ownership, Peace Now said that the individuals lacked the funds. Peace Now also admitted that they have only a few names of individual Palestinian owners because they need more funds to track them down. They did not explain why local Arabs, with free access to numerous pro-Palestinian legal assistance organizations (many funded by the New Israel Fund, the EU and others) need Peace Now's help in finding claimants.

Peace Now does not hide that its agenda is to undermine all settlement activity. It states that the organization made a "political decision" not to contest areas which Israel conquered in the War of Independence, and areas which were incorporated into Israel after the war in 1967, i.e. "East Jerusalem". But it insists "all settlement activity is an obstacle to peace" and even consensus areas like Gush Etzion and Maale Adumim must be given up.

Much of Peace Now's information and conclusions are contained in a controversial report commissioned by former PM Ariel Sharon two years ago authored by Talia Sasson, a vehement opponent of settlements. Sasson charged that government officials and agencies cooperated in building settlements and outposts without proper government approval.

Peace Now also charged that beginning in the 1970's, the Civil Administration for Judea, Samaria and Gaza "seized private Palestinian land" for use by settlements. They admitted, however, that they "don't know what was registered or taken over by the government," since all such records are held by the Civil Administration. But information on all land registered under the Ottoman, British and Jordanian administration is available and easily documented. Any land owner can apply to a court and have his/her property returned or demand compensation -- as so many have already done.

Under Jordanian law, selling land to a Jew is a capital crime; no Jews live in Jordan and none own property there. Since the Oslo Agreements, members of Palestinian death squads (so-called "security forces") have murdered hundreds of their own people who were accused of selling land to Jews. Peace Now's activities are making it easier to identify more potential victims and, it would seem, as an organization, it is not far from supporting those shocking anti-Jewish restrictions.

Moshe Dann, a former assistant professor of History (CUNY) is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem.