“This behaviour, also known as greenwashing, refers to the tools a given firm [or organisation] may use to deliberately send a message that its products, services and processes are environmentally friendly when in fact they are not.” Berrone Pascale, Green Lies

The picture is of a JNF tractor used in demolishing Al Araqib.

The Jewish National Fund (JNF) has had a place at previous Cop Conferences, we aim to stop it attending Cop26.

The JNF reputation as an environmental responsible body rests on its creation of parks, its planting of trees and its creation of reservoirs.

The Parks – Cover the ethnic cleansing – prevent a Palestinian return

The Jewish National Fund was set up in 1901 to obtain land in Palestine for the exclusive use of Jews.

 Yossef Weitz was   was the powerful director of the Jewish National Fund’s Land Settlement Department between 1932 and 1948.  He made three things clear. The Zionists must ethnically cleanse the Palestinians.[i]   The Palestinians must be prevented from returning[ii] and that after the destruction of the Palestinian villages Jewish settlements or parks would be put in their place.[iii]The Jewish National Fund’s park building enabled Israel to say to Palestinian refugees and the world that the land is being used.

The British Park[viii] – was built on two destroyed Palestinian villages.  In 2020,  Khalud al Ajarma, appeared before a British court. She had documents showing that her family and others owned the land that the JNF UK had claimed as a Park.  She complained that a British Charity had stolen or received stolen land, she was told that she had no standing to complain about the charity. See the webinar here.

JNF official Michael Katorza stated “a large portion of JNF parks are on lands where Palestinian villages used to stand, and the forests are intended to camouflage this.”

This is a picture taken in 2010 inside Canada Park which covers the destroyed village of Imwas and two others.

The Trees – cover the ruins – replace Olives and nuts

The Jewish Journal informs us “In a land where even trees have become politicized as part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the pine tree has become emblematic of a renewed Jewish presence here, while the olive tree has become a symbol of the Palestinians’ ties to the land.”

The truth is that the Olive tree is better suited than the Pines that were planted.  In 2020 “In an extensive survey conducted by the KKL-JNF, it was found that about 30 percent of the Jerusalem [Aleppo] pine have died in the country’s various forests,” explains Prof. Menachem Moshelion.                                                            

Water Apartheid

When Israel won the 1967 war, it took over all of Palestine’s water infrastructure.  It destroyed Palestinian pipelines, wells, cisterns at will.  While Palestinian water infrastructure is being weakened Israel sunk wells and built reservoirs and denies Palestinian access to the river Jordan.

These are two massive JNF sponsored reservoirs that feed water to the illegal Zionist settlements.

The result of the water Apartheid is that Palestinians consume less than the WHO recommended minimum.

A powerful exposure of the JNF’s greenwashing can be seen here.

A film about the JNF and water Apartheid can be seen here and background reading and videos here.

Sign the petition opposing JNF at COP 26 here.

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[i] “it must be clear that there is no room in the country for both [Arab and Jewish] peoples . . . If the [Palestinian] Arabs leave it, the country will become wide and spacious for us . . . The only solution [after the end of WW II] is a Land of Israel, at least a western land of Israel [i.e. Palestine since Transjordan is the eastern portion], without [Palestinian] Arabs. There is no room here for compromises . . . There is no way but to transfer the [Palestinian] Arabs from here to the neighboring countries, to transfer all of them, save perhaps for [the Palestinian Arabs of] Bethlehem, Nazareth, and the old Jerusalem. Not one village must be left, not one [Bedouin] tribe. The transfer must be directed at Iraq, Syria, and even Transjordan [eastern portion of Eretz Yisrael]. For this goal funds will be found . . . An only after this transfer will the country be able to absorb millions of our brothers and the Jewish problem will cease to exist. There is no other solution.” (Benny Morris, p. 27 & Expulsion Of The Palestinians, 131-132)

[ii]  Weitz “All we need is 400 tractors, each tractor can cultivate 3,000 dunam – cultivating not just for the purpose of procuring food but in order to prevent anyone from returning to their lands.”Pappe the Ethnic cleansing of Palestine  P213

[iii] Weitz “We have begun the operation of cleansing, removing the rubble and preparing the villages for cultivation and settlement.  Some of these will become parks.” Pappe P221

[iv] JNF: Financing Racism and Apartheid – Palestine Remembered

[v]  stopthejnfcampaignBRITISHPARK

Arwa lived in Sheffield for a good number of years, perhaps seven or eight and made very many friends both within the Arabic community and within the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Like many Palestinian women Arwa was passionate about women’s education and was part of the planning group of Sheffield Palestinian Women’s Scholarship Fund for years. During this time she spoke at International Women’s Day events for Palestine in various northern towns such as Bradford, Saddleworh and Durham/Newcastle.
Her family lived in Tel Rumeida in Hebron where religious settlers make some of the most vicious attacks in the West Bank. The family’s traditional orchards containing almonds and other fruits were taken over by the settlers. At one point some soldiers took over the top  floor of her family home because of its strategic position while they were living there. She sustained an injured leg after being badly beaten by a soldier which continued to give her pain and interfered with her ability to walk for the rest of her life. She once defended the family’s centuries old olive tree by sitting under it in the blazing sun for a full day to stop a bulldozer from destroying one of their most treasured possessions.
She worked with many children’s groups which were set up in Tel Rumeida which to support the traumatised children who could be woken in the middle of the night by the military who would then ransack the family possessions, take away – sometimes fathers often brothers, for interrogation which could last for many months without any formal charges and no family contact.
With this background Arwa could sometimes be feisty and verbally fight her corner She was also very caring and supportive. Although she returned to live in Palestine a few years ago she returned regularly to Sheffield to  visit her friends. We will miss her. Tribute by Val

Sheffield PSC supported March 4th day of action against JCB. A report is here