Lecturer explore “Israel’s” land grabbing strategies in Palestine
The institute of Law at Birzeit University and Al-Haq Organization held on March 21, 2017 a legal encounter to discuss Israel’s colonial expansion through land appropriation policies. The lecture was presented by Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission Counsellor Mohammad Elias Nazzal.
The lecturer talked about the means and procedures practiced by the occupation to complete its colonial goals. “Israel sought to impose its control on Palestine’s lands. Taking over lands was by declaring them as “state land” or establishing colonial companies.”
Nazzal discussed the declarations of state land in Palestine from a legal perspective. Under the guise of Legality, Nazzal said that Israel reinterpreted the Ottoman Land code for its own colonial interests.
Colonial companies, according to Nazzal were established based on the urgent need of the occupation. “Declarations of “State Land” were not enough to fully control Palestine’s territories and colonial companies were the alternative.” Nazzal alluded that the formal Palestinian authorities were full aware of the existence of these companies and their activities.
“During the years 1997 and 2016, around 285 colonial companies were registered in three languages; including Hebrew. Some companies were registered as a foreign company from abroad.”
Nazzal said that the goal of these companies is not for profit, but was based on ideological, Zionist and colonialist goals. “Israel wanted to guarantee a full access on Palestine’s lands through legal means and reinterpreting Palestine’s land codes.”
According to Nazzal, these policies, especially colonial companies, were a European strategy for colonialism, which proves that Israel is part of a long-standing European system of colonialism.
At the end of the lecture, Nazzal emphasized on the importance of expanding Palestinians legal, political and academic knowledge to detect Israel’s illegal acts of confiscating lands, and to find means of confronting them.
