JNF Plan to Expand Settlements Could 'Endanger Its Existence,' Jewish Groups Warn
Mercaz Olami, the Zionist organization of the Conservative-Masorti movement, is the latest Diaspora group to voice opposition of the move
by Alison Kaplan-Sommer. 15 February 2021
Warning bells are being sounded by world Jewry that a decision to formalize purchase of West Bank land to expand settlements by the Jewish National Fund will not only damage Israel’s international diplomatic relations but could also hurt its fundraising efforts to an extent that could endanger its very existence.
Mercaz Olami, the Zionist organization of the Conservative-Masorti movement, said in a sharply worded statement "opposing the move" that it “could irreversibly endanger KKL and our homeland."
Under the proposal unveiled last week and approved by JNF leadership on Sunday, the organization's policy would be officially changed so as to allow it to purchase West Bank land for the benefit of the Jewish settlement enterprise.
The proposed decision, the statement said, “places KKL in a situation which potentially violates international law” and as such, it said, it could “harm” the Jewish communities in the 55 countries with JNF fundraising branches.
In many of these countries, the statement added, “raising funds that will be invested in disputed areas is strictly prohibited. An irresponsible decision could severely damage KKL's ability to continue operating in these countries.”
”The current action attempts to impose a structure that reflects and favors the settlement policy of Israel's extreme right, an act which is inconsistent with what has been a basic tenet of KKL throughout its history,” the group added, calling for a return to what it said had been the group’s previous policy of “Zionist consensus.”
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Mercaz Olami joins opposition to the move from other Jewish groups in the Diaspora. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, declared after the plan was introduced that his movement “intends to mobilize the Jewish community to fight JNF’s plan through political and legal channels.”
Jacobs said that his organization, like the majority of American Jews, “have long opposed the proliferation of settlements because they endanger the possibility of a two-state solution," and vehemently opposed JNF's plan.
Opposition of Diaspora Jews to the move is significant because many of their organizations sit on the JNF Board of Directors, which will ultimately have the final say on the controversial shift in policy.
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