British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 305

CHAPTER VIII.
Safa - 1,000 dunums estimated as equivalent to 400 dunums at Ma'lul.

Tel esh Shok - 325 dunums estimated as equivalent to 325 dunums at Ma'lul.


These lands were not in occupation by Jews but some of them were leased by Government to Arabs. Government considered that the valuations placed by the Fund on the Beisan lands on comparison with those placed on the Ma'lul lands were too low.

(c) Land on the northern frontier of Palestine at Buleida and Meis in Safad Sub-District to be acquired by the Fund in exchange for 1,700 dunums of hill land at Ma'lul. The Jewish National Fund asked for 5 ,000 dunums. Land settlement operations in this area are not complete and the lands at Buleida and Meis have not been registered as State Domain : for this reason alone the exchange proposed could not be entertained by Government.

171. During 1945 the Jewish National Fund pressed for settlement of the problem, and it was thought that, unless negotiations were pursued, there would be danger that the Fund would start cultivation of the plain land at Ma'lul which hitherto bad been in Arab ownership. In the District Commissioner's view this might result in a serious local security situation. As the counter proposal of the Fund did not offer a has is for a solution likely to be acceptable to Government the problem was again considered by the Executive Council on the 10th October, 1945. The High Commissioner (Lord Gort) then decided that a solution should be sought by way of a further offer of an exchange of lands. Despite the Land Transfers Regulations and the decision that the provisions of these Regulations should be applied to State Domain, Lord Gort considered that it was right to offer to the Jewish National Fund lands within zones A or B, provided that an equivalent area of land at Ma'lul owned by persons other than Palestinian Arabs would be obtained thereby for the use of Palestinian Arabs. But bis view was that the offer of an area of State Domain in the restricted zones appreciably in excess of that to be acquired in exchange would not be justified and that any difference in values should be made up by the offer of additional State Domain .situated in the "free" zone. Accordingly, the following proposition was put before the Jewish National Fund on 22nd October :-

(a) The Fund to transfer to Government their title to 1,700 dunums of plain land (zone A) and 2,000 dunums of hilly land (zone B) situated in the village of Ma'lul.

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