Democratic Palestine : 15 (ص 15)
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- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 15 (ص 15)
- المحتوى
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1948 Occupied Palestine
Survey of Zionist Policy
March 30th is the Day of the Land — a Palestinian national celebration created by the struggle of our
masses in the part of Palestine occupied in 1948. On this day in 1976, Palestinians there mounted mas-
sive demonstrations protesting the Zionist land confiscations. This grew into an uprising and clashes
with the Zionist occupation forces. Seven Palestinians were mercilessly gunned down. The Zionists
acquired a new fear of the strong sense of Palestinian national identity kept alive in the midst of what they
want to be a «purely Jewish state».
The first Day of the Land expressed grievances accumu-
lated over the years since 1948, as a result of the Zionist policy
of dispossessing and oppressing the Palestinians who
remained in the state of ‘Israel’. The Palestinian masses there
have suffered the most abominable discrimination, unequal
distribution of funds, restrictive construction laws despite
population growth, land expropriation, inhuman demolition of
homes, lack of educational facilities, and constant attempts to
submerge their culture and national identity. This article sur-
veys these Zionist policies and their effects, focusing on the
recent period (1984-5).
Starving Palestinian municipalities
During the past two years, a series of strikes and protests
have been organized by local and regional councils, the Demo-
cratic Front for Peace and Equality, and other organizations to
voice the grievances of the Palestinian population. A main
focus of these protests has been the discrimination in funding
for Palestinian towns and villages.
The total budget for the local authorities of the 1948
occupied area (both Jewish and Palestinian communities) was
$1.3 billion. Although Palestinians comprise 12% of the overall
population, only 2.3% of the budget is alloted to services for
them. On the other hand, $400 million are collected in taxes
from them every year. This means that less than 10% of what
Palestinians contribute finds its way back to them. Moreover,
devaluation and inflation have eroded the value of the existing
budget to the extent that most local councils had 10% less
cash in 1985 than in 1984.
The Zionist authorities’ intentional lag in funding for Pales-
tinian towns and cities has resulted in the accumulation of a
$10 million debt. In attempts to alleviate the economic situation
and continue services, the councils have taken loans at com-
mercial banks at high interest rates, which only aggravated the
already shaky financial state. Despite this, the councils were
unable to carry out development projects or even maintain the
required level of services. Many public employees went with-
out pay for up to five months. Moreover, funds are distributed
unjustly, not taking into consideration population density or
needs. In 1984, the budget allocated for Um al Fahm (pop.
25,000) was IS600 million, while a nearby Jewish settlement
(pop. 10,000) was allocated IS1,200 million.
Needless to say, the Zionist authorities tried constantly to
defuse popular indignation by stalling for time or making prom-
ises which were never fulfilled. However, due to the persis-
tence of the Palestinians’ struggle, the Zionist authorities were
forced to meet some of the most pressing demands. In
December, an amount of IS1 billion was supposed to be trans-
ferred to the municipalities and another $4 million paid in
installments. Despite this seeming concession on the part of
the Zionist authorities, 50% of this amount will be needed to
cover the most pressing debts. What remains will barely be
sufficient to keep the services of local councils and
municipalities functioning, let alone provide a radical solution
to the existing problems. Many Palestinian villages and towns
remain without electricity, proper sewage systems or drinking
water. In many instances services are limited to street lighting
and sanitation.
Choking construction
Out of 120 Palestinian municipal communities, only 72
have town plans approved, and even these are considered by
the Zionist authorities to be outdated because of the extraordi-
nary high population growth among the Palestinians. Another
22 have such plans at various stages of consideration, while 20
have no plans at all. Thus any Palestinian is liable to have his
home categorized as illegal and consequently razed to the
ground!
In one case, the village of Majd al Kurum submitted a town
plan in 1965, which the Zionist authorities sat on until 1974
when they rejected it as unsuitable. Another town plan was
submitted in 1978 and is yet to be approved. In another case,
a villager was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and fined
1S1 million «for living in an unlicensed house.»
Overall, there are court orders for the demolition of 7000
Palestinian residential buildings, 1000 of which are in the
Galilee. These are to be demolished on the pretext that they
are illegally constructed. The Zionist authorities consider a
building illegal if it is (a) in contravention to their zoning regula-
tions; (b) on agricultural land; (c) «too close» to highways or
major crossroads; or (d) built in the wadis or on the hillsides of
the central Galilee. However, in view of the increase in the
Palestinian population, the net result of the Zionist restrictions
on construction is that many Palestinians find themselves with-
out adequate housing for their families. Due to sustained pro-
test, the Zionist authorities have temporarily suspended the
7000 demolition orders, but these are not revoked and could
be implemented at a later date.
Land confiscation
Historically speaking, the expropriation of land has been
the most constant and systematic of Zionism’s methods for dis-
possessing the people of Palestine, depriving them of their
Original means of livelihood and driving them to work in the
Israeli economy. Current plans to expropriate thousands of
dunums of Palestinian land are furthermore part of the Zionist
13
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