Arabs Owning Land in Israel

Donald Bustany alleges that Israel has a law which prohibits the sale or lease of lands to Israeli Arab citizens. This is a fabrication. Israel has no such law.

Most of the land in Israel is state-controlled and cannot be leased to individuals, only to organizations. The rest is privately owned and can be purchased by any Israeli citizen, be he or she a Jew or an Arab.

In contrast to the rights enjoyed by Israeli Arab citizens, we should not forget that in most Arab countries Jewish citizens are oppressed under discriminatory policies, restricted in their freedom and subject to violence. The depressing conditions of the Jews in Syria is a case in point. There are even some Arab countries in which a Jewish presence is not allowed.

Those such as Bustany who criticize President Bush for calling upon the U.N. to repeal its infamous anti-Zionist resolution show that they do not want a true peace with Israel. By libeling Zionism, the national movement of the Jewish people, they are attacking the legitimacy of Israel’s very existence.

DAN BEN-ELIEZER

Consul for Press and Information

Consulate General of Israel, Los Angeles