Selling|VBG Land|NNP to|TO Jews|NNPS Last|JJ week|NN ,|, a|DT 70|CD -|: year-old|JJ Palestinian|JJ real-estate|NN dealer|NN was|VBD murdered|VBN after|IN he|PRP violated|VBD a|DT new|JJ edict|NN by|IN the|DT Palestinian|NNP Authority|NNP making|VBG the|DT sale|NN of|IN Arab-owned|NNP land|NN to|TO Jews|NNPS a|DT capital|NN crime|NN .|. 
The|DT issue|NN of|IN land|NN sales|NNS has|VBZ a|DT long|JJ history|NN as|IN a|DT subtheme|NN of|IN the|DT Jewish-|NNP Arab|JJ struggle|NN .|. 

The|DT 19|CD th|NN century|NN Jewish|JJ intellectuals|NNS who|WP conceived|VBD of|IN Zionism|NNP --|: the|DT idea|NN that|IN Jewish|JJ survival|NN depends|VBZ on|IN the|DT establishment|NN of|IN a|DT Jewish|JJ state|NN in|IN the|DT biblical|JJ land|NN of|IN Israel|NNP --|: never|RB worked|VBD out|RP their|PRP$ ideology|NN 's|POS logistics|NNS .|. 
Jewish|JJ settlement|NN in|IN Palestine|NNP ,|, then|RB part|NN of|IN the|DT decaying|VBG Ottoman|NNP Empire|NNP ,|, only|RB proceeded|VBD piecemeal|RB .|. 
In|IN the|DT 1880s|NN and|CC 1890s|NN ,|, about|IN 25,000|CD Jews|NNPS immigrated|VBD to|TO Palestine|NNP .|. 
Most|RBS integrated|VBN into|IN multiethnic|JJ communities|NNS in|IN the|DT cities|NNS of|IN Jaffa|NNP ,|, Tiberias|NNP ,|, and|CC Jerusalem|NNP .|. 
A|DT second|JJ wave|NN of|IN 30,000|CD immigrants|NNS came|VBD between|IN 1905|CD and|CC 1914|CD ,|, many|DT of|IN whom|WP were|VBD Labor|NNP Zionists|NNP who|WP wanted|VBD the|DT Jewish|JJ state|NN to|TO be|VB socialist|JJ .|. 
Extolling|NNP the|DT virtues|NNS of|IN manual|JJ labor|NN ,|, they|PRP acquired|VBD huge|JJ tracts|NNS of|IN farmland|NN from|IN absentee|NN Syrian|JJ and|CC Lebanese|JJ landlords|NNS .|. 
The|DT "|'' New|NNP Palestinian|JJ Jew|NNP ,|, "|'' they|PRP said|VBD ,|, needed|VBN to|TO be|VB physically|RB tougher|JJR than|IN the|DT brainy|NN shopkeepers|NNS who|WP had|VBD been|VBN trampled|VBN in|IN Europe|NNP .|. 

The|DT Jewish|NNP National|NNP Fund|NNP was|VBD founded|VBN in|IN 1904|CD for|IN the|DT purpose|NN of|IN buying|VBG up|RP land|NN from|IN Arabs|NNPS .|. 
After|IN the|DT Ottoman|NNP Empire|NNP 's|POS defeat|NN in|IN World|NNP War|NNP I|PRP ,|, Britain|NNP acquired|VBD Palestine|NNP and|CC promised|VBD (|( in|IN the|DT Balfour|NNP Declaration|NNP )|) the|DT creation|NN of|IN a|DT Jewish|JJ state|NN .|. 
In|IN anticipation|NN ,|, Jews|NNPS in|IN Palestine|NNP began|VBD laying|VBG the|DT groundwork|NN for|IN a|DT greater|JJR sense|NN of|IN national|JJ identity|NN .|. 
The|DT Jewish|NNP National|NNP Fund|NNP 's|POS charter|NN was|VBD amended|VBN to|TO mandate|VB that|IN Jewish|JJ land|NN could|MD never|RB be|VB resold|VBN to|TO Arabs|NNPS or|CC opened|VBD to|TO non-|NN Jewish|JJ employees|NNS .|. 

Following|VBG Jewish|NNP National|NNP Fund|NNP guidelines|NNS ,|, farmers|NNS evicted|JJ Palestinian|JJ peasants|NNS living|VBG on|IN the|DT newly|RB acquired|VBN plots|NNS .|. 
The|DT total|JJ number|NN displaced|VBN was|VBD small|JJ .|. 
By|IN 1946|CD ,|, Jews|NNPS owned|VBD only|RB 7|CD percent|NN of|IN Palestine|NNP ,|, but|CC the|DT perceived|VBN threat|NN of|IN displacement|NN was|VBD widespread|JJ among|IN Arabs|NNPS .|. 
Starting|VBG around|IN 1910|CD ,|, Arab|JJ newspapers|NNS railed|JJ against|IN Jewish|JJ land|NN acquisition|NN .|. 
Among|IN the|DT peasantry|NN ,|, rumors|NNS spread|VBP alleging|VBG an|DT Anglo-|NNP Jewish|JJ conspiracy|NN to|TO remove|VB Muslims|NNPS from|IN Palestine|NNP .|. 
Anxious|JJ to|TO avoid|VB being|VBG blamed|VBN for|IN Palestinian|JJ landlessness|NNS ,|, British|JJ officials|NNS began|VBD imposing|VBG token|JJ restrictions|NNS on|IN Jewish|JJ land|NN purchase|NN in|IN 1940|CD .|. 
They|PRP publicly|RB supported|VBD Arab|NNP complaints|NNS that|IN Jews|NNPS were|VBD driving|VBG Arabs|NNPS off|IN the|DT land|NN .|. 

Palestinians|NNPS say|VBP evictions|NNS destroyed|VBD their|PRP$ way|NN of|IN life|NN ,|, forcing|VBG them|PRP to|TO move|VB from|IN rural|JJ Palestine|NNP to|TO crowded|VBN cities|NNS in|IN search|NN of|IN work|NN .|. 
They|PRP also|RB say|VBP that|IN the|DT better-educated|JJ Jewish|JJ buyers|NNS had|VBD duped|JJ illiterate|JJ peasants|NNS into|IN selling|VBG property|NN .|. 

The|DT Arab|NNP National|NNP Fund|NNP ,|, created|VBN in|IN 1931|CD by|IN wealthy|JJ Arab|JJ families|NNS to|TO purchase|VB land|NN for|IN displaced|VBN peasants|NNS ,|, was|VBD ineffective|JJ .|. 
During|IN the|DT 1930s|NN ,|, Palestinian|JJ responses|NNS turned|VBD violent|JJ .|. 
In|IN 1934|CD Jerusalem|NNP 's|POS mufti|NN ,|, the|DT spiritual|NN leader|NN of|IN the|DT city|NN 's|POS Muslims|NNPS ,|, decreed|VBN that|IN believers|NNS were|VBD duty|NN bound|VBN to|TO murder|NN other|JJ Muslims|NNPS who|WP sold|VBD land|NN to|TO Jews|NNPS .|. 
Arabs|NNS ,|, who|WP outnumbered|VBD Jews|NNPS by|IN more|JJR than|IN 2-to-1|CD ,|, revolted|JJ against|IN Jewish|JJ land|NN acquisition|NN and|CC British|JJ promises|NNS of|IN Jewish|JJ nationhood|NN .|. 
About|IN 5,000|CD Arabs|NNPS and|CC several|JJ hundred|CD Jews|NNPS were|VBD killed|VBN in|IN riots|NNS and|CC guerrilla|NN attacks|NNS between|IN 1936|CD and|CC 1939|CD .|. 

Zionists|NNP argued|VBD that|IN the|DT land|NN purchases|NNS benefited|VBD all|PDT the|DT territory|NN 's|POS residents|NNS .|. 
Jewish|JJ immigrants|NNS introduced|VBD modern|JJ agricultural|JJ technology|NN ,|, which|WDT increased|VBD productivity|NN and|CC helped|VBD fill|VB the|DT markets|NNS with|IN food|NN to|TO feed|VB the|DT growing|VBG Arab|JJ population|NN .|. 
Zionists|NNP also|RB maintain|VBP that|IN Jews|NNPS became|VBD a|DT lucrative|JJ market|NN for|IN Arab-manufactured|NNP goods|NNS .|. 

Some|DT historians|NNS trace|VB Palestinian|JJ landlessness|NNS to|TO Palestine|NNP 's|POS entry|NN into|IN the|DT world|NN economy|NN in|IN the|DT 1880s|NN .|. 
Urban|NNP commerce|NN drew|VBD some|DT peasants|NNS from|IN their|PRP$ family|NN farms|NNS .|. 
Other|JJ subsistence|NN farmers|NNS found|VBD themselves|PRP competing|VBG with|IN cash-crop|JJ entrepreneurs|NNS (|( Jews|NNPS and|CC Arabs|NNPS )|) whose|WP$ successes|NNS changed|VBD the|DT face|NN of|IN Palestinian|JJ agriculture|NN .|. 
Jewish|JJ land|NN purchases|NNS were|VBD not|RB the|DT primary|JJ factor|NN ,|, these|DT historians|NNS say|VBP .|. 

Very|RB little|JJ of|IN the|DT land|NN owned|VBD today|NN by|IN individual|JJ Jews|NNPS and|CC the|DT Israeli|JJ government|NN was|VBD acquired|VBN by|IN purchase|NN .|. 
Jewish|JJ sovereignty|NN and|CC ownership|NN were|VBD established|VBN the|DT way|NN these|DT things|NNS usually|RB are|VBP :|: by|IN war|NN .|. 
Israel|NNP confiscated|VBD all|DT land|NN owned|VBN by|IN the|DT British|JJ government|NN ,|, mostly|RB desert|NN and|CC mountains|NNS ,|, after|IN the|DT 1948|CD War|NNP of|IN Independence|NNP .|. 
Property|NNP owned|VBN by|IN Arab|JJ refugees|NNS ,|, who|WP either|CC fled|VBD war|NN zones|NNS or|CC were|VBD forced|VBN from|IN their|PRP$ homes|NNS by|IN the|DT Israeli|JJ army|NN (|( another|DT long-standing|JJ controversy|NN )|) ,|, was|VBD also|RB taken|VBN over|IN by|IN individual|JJ Jews|NNPS or|CC confiscated|VBN by|IN the|DT government|NN .|. 
Many|JJ Palestinians|NNPS ,|, however|RB ,|, stayed|VBD put|VBN ,|, retained|VBD their|PRP$ land|NN ,|, and|CC became|VBD Israeli|JJ citizens|NNS .|. 

A|DT new|JJ school|NN of|IN Jewish|JJ historians|NNS is|VBZ more|RBR critical|JJ of|IN the|DT dislocations|NNS caused|VBN by|IN Jewish|JJ land|NN acquisition|NN ,|, and|CC concludes|VBZ that|IN it|PRP was|VBD not|RB always|RB fair|JJ .|. 
One|CD popular|JJ theory|NN compares|VBZ Zionism|NNP 's|POS imperative|JJ to|TO acquire|VB land|NN to|TO the|DT American|JJ idea|NN of|IN Manifest|NNP Destiny|NNP (|( that|IN it|PRP was|VBD the|DT United|NNP States|NNPS '|POS God-given|NNP right|NN to|TO rule|VB from|IN coast|NN to|TO coast|NN )|) .|. 
Others|NNS argue|VBP that|IN it|PRP was|VBD a|DT mistake|NN for|IN the|DT Jewish|NNP National|NNP Fund|NNP to|TO prohibit|VB non-|NN Jewish|JJ laborers|NNS from|IN the|DT newly|RB purchased|VBN lands|NNS .|. 
However|RB ,|, even|RB these|DT revisionists|NNS agree|VBP that|IN the|DT Jews|NNPS had|VBD not|RB intended|VBN to|TO evict|NN Muslims|NNPS from|IN Palestine|NNP .|. 

Israeli|JJ security|NN officials|NNS believed|VBN that|IN the|DT murdered|VBN real-estate|NN dealer|NN was|VBD executed|VBN by|IN plainclothes|NNS Palestinian|NNP Authority|NNP police|NN .|. 
The|DT Palestinian|NNP Authority|NNP 's|POS decision|NN to|TO make|VB the|DT sale|NN of|IN land|NN to|TO Jews|NNPS a|DT capital|NN crime|NN reflects|VBZ Palestinian|JJ frustration|NN with|IN Israeli|JJ land|NN use|NN ,|, specifically|RB the|DT creation|NN of|IN a|DT new|JJ Jewish|JJ neighborhood|NN now|RB under|IN construction|NN in|IN East|NNP Jerusalem|NNP .|. 

In|IN the|DT past|NN ,|, death|NN threats|NNS have|VBP done|VBN little|JJ to|TO deter|VB sales|NNS of|IN land|NN .|. 
According|VBG to|TO British|JJ land|NN records|NNS ,|, the|DT Jerusalem|NNP mufti|NN 's|POS 1934|CD decree|NN failed|VBD to|TO prevent|VB sales|NNS .|. 
But|CC that|DT decree|NN did|VBD not|RB have|VB the|DT power|NN of|IN civil|JJ law|NN behind|IN it|PRP .|. 
Nevertheless|RB ,|, the|DT incentives|NNS to|TO sell|VB at|IN the|DT market|NN price|NN are|VBP substantial|JJ ,|, and|CC if|IN the|DT threats|NNS create|VBP new|JJ scarcities|NNS ,|, higher|JJR prices|NNS will|MD probably|RB encourage|VB sellers|NNS to|TO unload|VB their|PRP$ land|NN .|. 

