http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/ Hon. Ze'ev Elkin Member of Knesset Co-Sponsor, JNF Bill The Knesset Kiryat Ben-Gurion Jerusalem, Israel 91950 Dear Mr. Elkin: We the undersigned are profoundly disappointed by your vote to approve, in a preliminary reading, a bill that allows the Israel Lands Authority [ILA] to prohibit Israeli Arabs from leasing some of the land that it manages. This land belongs to Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael [Jewish National Fund] and much of it was paid for by Diaspora Jews who, like us, believed in the vital importance of establishing a democratic Jewish state and helping it to thrive. We agree with Israel’s Attorney General Menahem Mazuz, who has ruled that the ILA cannot discriminate against Israel’s Arab citizens by restricting the leasing of state-managed land solely to Jews. At a time when Israel is trying to show the world that there is no contradiction between a Jewish state and a democratic one, every effort must be made to enforce the principle of equality and equal opportunity for all Israeli citizens. At a time of dangerous tensions between Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens, every effort must be made to demonstrate to the former that they have a stake in the country’s future. The proposed bill completely ignores those priorities. This bill is not only unfair to one fifth of Israel’s population; it also reinforces the growing perception around the world that Israel is an “apartheid” state. We are friends of Israel who do our best to counter that false perception and to build support for the Jewish state in the public arena. By voting for this bill, you have made our job much more difficult. To defend this vote, some contend that the Jewish National Fund’s charter calls for the land to be used for Jewish settlement, and that the Fund’s donors assumed that their money would be used for that purpose. This argument has some validity and we appreciate the complexities of the situation. But in a modern democracy, if an organization’s charter is obsolete, discriminatory and contrary to the nation’s basic laws and fundamental values, then the principles of that charter should not be enshrined and codified in a new law. Zionist pioneers made the desert bloom. They settled land that was purchased by the hard-won coins of donors to the Jewish National Fund. They also never lost their commitment to social justice, equality and human decency. Now, it is necessary to ensure that this tradition is updated and that all Israelis, whether Jewish or not, have access to the same opportunities, including the right to lease land managed by the State. It is not too late to kill this legislation. We implore you to do what you can to prevent it from being introduced again in the Knesset. Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:1:14 CDT en-us 3 http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig4067747 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I support this petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3921599 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I just bought a box of JNF Passover Matzoh, but wondered about the nature of the organization. Seeing now that JNF is not only for Jews but against non-Jews, I must speak out. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3921598 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST I just bought a box of JNF Passover Matzoh, but wondered about the nature of the organization. Seeing now that JNF is not only for Jews but against non-Jews, I must speak out. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3840265 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3727711 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3682356 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST This is a very fine and eloquent petition. Israel can not claim the moral high ground in the world arena if it pursues a racist policy http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3652775 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3651477 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST The proposed legislaton is antithetical to Jewish values and violates Rabbi Hillel's admonition not to commit acts against one's neighbor that would be hateful if done to you. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3643866 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3642970 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3640101 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3640009 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3638856 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST Greetings from Canada - where a complaint has been filed with the government to remove JNF's tax-exempt status. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3638681 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3633923 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3630950 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3630874 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3630873 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3630788 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/PROTESTJNFBILL/#sig3630361 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:0:00 CST this bill will do untold harm to Israel's international reputation