Land Transfer in Palestine before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Supplement - Page 33

for the purpose in mind. A representative of the Director of Land Settlement was Chairman of the Committee and the members were representatives of the Departments of Agriculture and Forests and of the District Commissioner of the district in which the various parcels of land were situated. The Committee submitted their report in October, 1945. This report indicated that there was very little State Domain in the "free" zone which had not already been leased on long term and which could be made available immediately for the settlement of Jewish ex-servicemen. In the result it appeared that the lands which it was possible to offer to the Jewish Agency were limited to certain areas in the Tulkarm Sub-district, none of which exceeded a few hundred dunums in extent, and an area of about 4,000 dunums of sand dunes in Yibna village, Jaffa Sub-district.

Whilst still considering the practicability of making the Yibna land available, Government decided to grant long-term leases of an area of some 294 dunums in Qaqun village and an area of some 505 dunums in Qalansuwa village, both in Tulkarm Sub-district, to the Jewish National Fund for the re-settlement of ex-servicemen. In order not to delay the occupation of the land whilst the conditions of the long-term leases were being agreed, leases at nominal rents for one year commencing on the 1st January, 1947, were concluded. When the representatives of the Jewish National Fund endeavoured to take possession they found parts of both areas occupied by Arabs who expressed their intention of dying rather than yielding up possession. The occupation by these Arabs was of very recent date and was clearly part of a politically inspired plan to prevent the occupation by Jews of what the trespassers described as "Arab" lands, notwithstanding that Arab claims to ownership of the areas in question bad been dismissed after the most careful judicial investigation.

LAND TRANSFERS.

(p. 263) (§ 92)

Land transfers registered in the land registries during the year 1945-46 and during the first half of 1946-47 were as follows:-

1945/46 First half
of 1946/47
dun urns dunums
Zone A 8,484 12,500
Zone B 925 10,756 The increase in these figures as compared with those of previous years is due mainly to orders made by the Courts.

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