A Study Of The Jewish National Fund(1897-1948)

The Jewish National Fund(JNF)is a non-governmental organization that aims to buy lands for settlers in the Palestinian territories.Since it was established,it began devoting itself to the land purchase activities.Before the founding of Israel,it became the largest landowner in the Palestinian territories and played an important role in the process of Israel’s founding.This paper aims to examine the process of the JNF’s development before the founding of Israel,mainly discusses the changes of land purchasing policy and its status of land acquisition during various periods of its history,and analyzes its effects on the establishment of the state of Israel as well.This thesis is divided into six chapters.The first chapter is the introduction of this thesis,in which there are four parts.The first part is the brief introduction of my research contents;in the second part,I introduce the development of JNF’s study both in China and abroad;in the third and fourth part,I offer the method and the academic importance this thesis has.The second chapter focuses on the background of the JNF.The Jewish nation is inextricably linked to the land of Palestine,and the Palestinians have been regarded as "holy places" by the Jewish people.Under the rule of the late Ottoman Empire,Palestine was a forgotten place,although there was a brief period of Jewish activity,the final settlement of agricultural activities attributed to failure.The rise of the Zionist movement in modern times began to emerge as a wave of Jewish immigrants to Palestine,where immigrant settlements were carried out slowly and the Zionist organizations were established.The third chapter mainly discusses the creation process of the Jewish national foundation before the end of World War I.At the first Zionist Congress in 1897,Shapiro proposed the motion to establish the JNF,which was passed in 1901.In 1907,the JNF founded company,with the organization legitimized,it began to form the initial constitution,and purchased small-scale land through raising fund by issuing boxes and stamps.Because of the scarcity of funds and small quantities of land acquisition,the Jewish National Foundation has invested more resources in Palestinian settlers.The fourth chapter discusses the development of the JNF during the period of theBritish Mandate.After the 1920 London Congress and changes of personnel,the JNF show renewed vitality.In the face of Arabian resistance and the restrictions of the British authorities,the JNF adjusted its land purchase policy,using various strategies to circumvent the official restrictions flexibly,carrying on large-scale land acquisition activities.In particular,after the new land transfer regulations entered into force,the JNF emerged at the climax of land acquisition,which laid the foundation for the formation of the Israeli national territory.The period of the British Mandate was a golden age for the development of the JNF,and made a substantial breakthrough in land activity.This chapter mainly focuses on the adjustment of land purchase policy of the JNF in different stages and analyzes the reasons for the JNF’s successful purchase of land in this period.In the fifth chapter I turn to examine the historical influence of the JNF on the founding of Israel and the Arabs in the Palestinian territories.On the eve of the founding of Israel,the JNF made a strategic adjustment to the land acquisition policy in order to strive for strategic land,and therefore,to lay the foundation for the formation of the Israeli territory.In addition to the purchase of land,the JNF also engaged in Jewish immigration,agricultural land reclamation,public infrastructure construction and other activities,and therefore,laid a solid foundation for the development of the Israeli economy.On the other hand,the JNF’s activities such as land purchases,immigration resettlement also had a profound impact on the Arabic farmers’ economic life.The JNF not only purchased the land,but also pursued the special policy(“only for the Jews”)on the land,which caused the Arab farmers to lose their foothold.They were forced to become cheap labor and even vagrant.The last chapter is the conclusion.As a foundation to purchase and manage land in Palestine during the Zionist movement,the JNF played an important role in the land acquisition activities before Israel’s founding,which laid the foundation for Jews immigrating to Palestine and the establishment of the state of Israel.We should look at the activities of the JNF in the Palestinian area in an objective and impartial manner.Overall,the activities of the JNF had adapted to the historical development and promoted the social-economic development of the Palestinian region.Most importantof all,it provided favorable conditions for the Jewish people in diaspora for so long time to establish a national home.