The patriarchate claimed in a statement Monday that it had "clear proof" of corruption in the long-disputed 2004 sale of Old City properties, including two Palestinian-run hotels.

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The Greek Orthodox church is one of the biggest private landowners in the Holy Land and in recent years has stirred controversy both among Israelis and Palestinians by trying to sell prime assets to private investors.

In June, the court ruled in favor of the Israeli organization, which seeks to increase the Jewish presence in Palestinian areas of the holy city.

Most Orthodox Christians in Jerusalem are Palestinian, and the sale of the properties to Israelis sparked outrage.

Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III has condemned a contentious 2004 deal, brokered by his predecessor, Patriarch Irenaios, as "illegal." Irenaios sold 124 acres of land in west Jerusalem to undisclosed Israeli developers for a reported $32 million, a move that cost him his office position.

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Israel Hayom spoke with JNF Chairman Daniel Atar ahead of the Israel Hayom Forum for US-Israel Relations on June 27.

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"The status and importance of US Jewry for Israel over the years cannot be overstated. The Jewish lobby and its influence on Congress and the Senate are also vital to Israel. Therefore, the relations between JNF-Israel and its partners in the US have been deep and warm for many years," Atar says. (US donations to the JNF exceed $150 million per year, compared to donations from everywhere else, which amount to about two-thirds of that sum.)

Q: When talking about Israel and the US, the term "special relationship" is mentioned. Does that apply to the relationship between JNF-Israel and the US, too?

"Naturally, we have many envoys spread across the US, and we support the activity of Jewish communities throughout America. We are also part of the fight against BDS. Five years ago, JNF International signed an agreement with JNF-USA that sets down rules for their relationship.

"We are working in complete harmony and cooperating well with JNF-USA in the vast majority of cases. This means that there is almost no field in which they don't support us or there is not cooperation between us, whether it's in academia, schools, youth movements, industry, handling the water crisis in Beersheba or the Arava, aid to farmers, and more. At this stage, we're trying to direct all our supporters to the Galilee and the Negev, with the goal of strengthening them and thereby strengthening Israel."

In addition to ongoing cooperation, the JNF has also decided to sue Hamas in a US court for the environmental damage that the terrorist group is causing in the western Negev. The lawsuit is currently in its final stages before being filed.

Looking for the next leaders

Atar says that the JNF is emphasizing what he defines as "our major struggle, which has existed for decades and more now than ever, against one of the phenomena that concerns us most – assimilation. In the US, it is increasing to over 70%, so the issue must be addressed and we must find the proper way of dealing with it."

Q: What does that mean?

"The main thing we're doing about it is informal education at JNF branches throughout the world. The goal is twofold: to strengthen Jewish identity and to strengthen ties to Israel. We are using a variety of methods: delegations, lectures, films, and youth movement programs, from the third grade until they reach adulthood, over the course of [many] years. Our goal is for at least some of them to become leaders in their own communities. It's obvious to us that those who become part of a world of Jewish 'content' through youth movement activity don't lose their Jewish identity and bond with Israel. Sometimes it is successful and sometimes, unfortunately, the objective numbers cause us to fail. Ultimately, US Jewry has enthusiastic Zionist supporters across the political spectrum and in this matter, the plurality of opinions is actually a source of great strength."

The land is still being redeemed

Sitting in the JNF building stirs up historic memories. It played an important role when Israel declared its independence. On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations declared an end to the British Mandate and that the land would be partitioned between a Jewish and an Arab state, and the leaders of the Yishuv gathered in the JNF building to confer on whether they would accept the resolution and declare an independent Jewish state. In 1988, a decision was made to turn most of the building into a museum devoted to JNF activity and its contributions to the State of Israel. The question of how relevant the JNF was came up even before the idea was floated.

"The JNF is more relevant today than ever," Atar says.

"Apart from the urgent issue of strengthening Jewish identity and links to Israel, the basic matter has not changed – we are still carrying out the commandment on which the JNF was founded: redeeming land. I discovered that a lot of people don't often know that, there are battles against strong forces who bring in money from abroad, the United Arab Emirates for example, that was raised to try and take control of land in our homeland.

"In the past year and a half, the JNF has invested about 500 million shekels ($150 million) in acquiring land, mostly for farmers who are on the verge of bankruptcy. We bought it and immediately leased it to them so they could keep working it. It won't go to waste, and we will keep producing food in Israel. That is how we defend the state's borders, our hold on the land, and the supreme value of Zionism. To that, add our support for youth movements worldwide, putting together work plans and training counselors … and ingraining Zionism, mostly through the delegations of teachers who teach at Jewish schools that we bring to Israel and expose to all the JNF's various activities."

Relocation to Dimona

The main tenet of the JNF's vision for the coming decades is its Israel 2040 plan. The plan is taken into account in all JNF activities and carries extra weight.

"The idea began to take form only a few months ago. The main goal is to bring half a million new residents to the Galilee and a million new residents to the Negev. I'm already waiting to talk with the finance minister in the next government about a budget and getting it started right away."

The plan's official and catchy name is "Relocation Israel – JNF is building the land of tomorrow." Atar is completely committed to it.

"The game-changer that we believe makes it possible to implement the plan is Israeli technology, which does wondrous things and is in demand worldwide. We intend to turn the Galilee into a world powerhouse of food-tech, agro-tech, and biotech. The Negev – in conjunction with the IDF's technology units, which are moving their bases to the South – will make it into a capital of cybertech, security and defense industry, and artificial intelligence."

Q: What are the main emphases of the plan?

"The important goal is to create a demographic change by bringing in a new, strong population that can depend on itself economically, unlike what is happening now. The stress will be on high-tech villages, science campuses, and high-end R and D centers. Alongside them, we'll set up smart cities that are capable of taking in a young, strong, and lively population, and supply everything they need. By doing so, we hope to attract investors and developers, engineers and programmers, young families and students from Israel and all over the world.

"Instead of relocating to Silicon Valley in California, they'll want to relocate to Beersheba and Kiryat Shmona, Nazareth Illit and Dimona. That's a real revolution, and it all stems from the understanding that the strategic strength of the State of Israel depends on there being a healthy and balanced Israeli population, not only in central Israel, which is what we have currently."

Atar is not forgetting the role Diaspora Jews will play in bringing the plan to fruition.

"I believe that Diaspora Jews can and should play a major role in achieving this goal. First of all by making aliyah and moving to those areas. That's not supposed to happen in a vacuum, but rather as part of a complete plan we'll be spearheading in the next few years. I am appealing to them directly: you can be part of meeting Zionism's biggest challenge in the next few decades, and join the many Jews who have already come to Israel in the years the state has existed."

Atar says that "on the most basic level, there's nothing like seeing for yourself to understand the importance of the JNF. It's not by chance that there are thousands of kilometers of bike trails and thousands of acres of trees that have made Israel the only country in the world in which the number of trees grows from year to year. We are present in every aspect of what Israel is: information education, youth activity, pre-army preparatory academies, and now, of course, the cherry on the cake – bringing people to live in the Galilee and the Negev.

"It gives me great satisfaction on a personal level, too. The vitality of the JNF increases every day, and as long as I'm in this role, we will do everything to reach that goal."

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In a letter to Brig. Gen. (res.) Baruch Yedid, head of the Arab Affairs desk at the Zionist movement Im Tirtzu, Rabbi Aryeh Stern wrote that it was as important to free Palestinians jailed for that reason as it was to free imprisoned Jews.

Palestinian law bars selling land to "a hostile state or any of its citizens," and requires the permission of the Palestinian Authority for all land sales in east Jerusalem.

In early October, east Jerusalem resident Issam Akel, 53, was arrested by the Palestinian General Security Service on suspicion that he had sold land to Israelis. In response to Akel's arrest, Israel arrested the governor of the Jerusalem District of the Palestinian Authority, Adnan Ghaith, and another senior Palestinian security official.

Last week, Palestinian real estate agent Ahmad Salameh, suspected by Palestinian authorities of acting as an intermediary in selling West Bank lands to Israelis, was fatally shot on his own doorstep. He was evacuated to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, where doctors declared him dead.

"The Gemara [Talmud] and Jewish law have taught us that poor Gentiles need to make a living just like poor Jews, and it must be said that this is the rule according to which Gentile prisoners should be freed just like Jewish prisoners, and it is already known that the commandment to free prisoners is considered a most important one," Stern wrote.

"Efforts must be made to free the abducted [Issam Akel], because he is suspected of selling property to Jews, and anyone who deals with that plays a part in the commandment to settle the land of Israel. Efforts to secure his release will encourage others not to be deterred or refrain from selling land, because they will know that they will be protected from anyone who seeks to harm them."

Yedid welcomed the chief rabbi's letter, saying, "This is a step of historic and national significance, a brave step on the rabbi's part. For the first time, a major figure in the rabbinical institution is intervening on behalf of the Palestinians who have become hunted targets for the PA in the capital.

"We can only hope that words will lead to action and the rest of the authorities in Israel will act in this spirit and put an end to Palestinian lawlessness in Jerusalem. The authorities must provide protection to residents of Israel and demonstrate de facto sovereignty," Yedid wrote.

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Through its official Wafa news agency, the Palestinian Authority has accused property dealer Issam Akel, a U.S. citizen, of attempting to sell a property in east Jerusalem without permission of his business partners or the authorities. The Wafa report did not identify the intended buyer.

Palestinian law bars selling land to "a hostile state or any of its citizens," and requires the permission of the Palestinian Authority for all land sales in east Jerusalem.

Land sales in the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem, are highly fraught for Palestinians, who see Israeli efforts to buy up land as part of a plot to cement control.

"The Palestinian Authority has been holding U.S. citizen Issam Akel in prison for 2 months. His suspected 'crime'? Selling land to a Jew," U.S. Ambassador David Friedman wrote on Twitter.

"Akel's incarceration is antithetical to the values of the U.S. and to all who advocate the cause of peaceful coexistence. We demand his immediate release."

Osama al-Qawasme, an official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, rejected Friedman's remarks and called the U.S. envoy "an ambassador of the settlers."

"We deplore his statement that Akel's arrest violated American values. Does building of settlements adhere to American values?" al-Qawasme said. "We in Fatah will confront all attempts to harm the city of Jerusalem or its sacred places."

Akel's father, Jalal, said a Palestinian court had extended his son's detention by 45 days on Monday.

"They are stalling. There is no evidence my son sold anything to Israelis, all charges are void," he said.

Maj. Gen. Adnan Al-Dmairi, a spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said 20 people had been arrested in recent years on suspicion of violating land laws.

An Israeli security official said Akel was detained on Oct. 10 in Ramallah, the hub city of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

Israel said its security services had appealed to their Palestinian counterparts for Akel's release.

Israel briefly arrested two Palestinian Authority officials from East Jerusalem over the last month on the basis of what the Israeli security official said were suspicions that they had information on Akel's detention.

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Jordan formally notified Israel on Sunday it would not renew the deal over Baqura, known in Israel as Naharayim, in the northern Jordan Valley, and in the Ghamr area in the southern Arava Desert, where Israeli farmers have large plantations.

King Abdullah stressed that the territories were Jordanian lands and would remain so, and said the decision was made in the "national interest" at a period of regional turmoil.

The 1994 peace treaty recognized the two areas as being under Jordanian sovereignty but gave Israel special provisions to use the land and allow Israelis free access. In the Baqura area, Israeli private property rights were respected.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the deal had been conceived as a temporary arrangement from the start.

"That is why there was a time cap on it. ... We acted within the provisions of the peace treaty. This is an indication of our commitment to the peace treaty. There has never been a question of our solid commitment to the treaty," Safadi told Reuters.

Jordan is one of only two Arab states to have a peace treaty with Israel – the other is Egypt – and the two countries have a long history of close security ties. But the treaty is unpopular and pro-Palestinian sentiment is widespread in Jordan.

Safadi said the kingdom had contemplated the move for some time before the Nov. 10 deadline for notification.

Under the peace treaty, the deal would be automatically renewed unless either of the parties notified the other a year before expiry that it wished to terminate the agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Jordan's move and said his country would seek negotiations on the possibility of extending the arrangement.

Safadi said the kingdom was now waiting for Israel to invoke a provision in the treaty to hold consultations before the deadline.

"There will be no negotiations over sovereignty. But we will fulfill our obligation to engage in consultations to implement the termination," Safadi said.

The king's move was hailed by Jordanian parliamentarians, who have been vocal against the renewal, saying it is humiliating and perpetuates Israeli "occupation" of Jordanian territory.

Safadi said Jordan would respect its obligations toward Israelis in the peace treaty, which demarcated the borders between the two countries for the first time.

"We will fulfill our legal commitments in a manner that recognizes whatever rights there are for Israel, particularly the property rights. We will respect these rights in accordance with Jordanian laws that respect private property of non-Jordanians," Safadi said.

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The two officials are Adnan Gheith, who holds the largely ceremonial post of Palestinian-appointed governor of Jerusalem, and Jihad Al-Faqeeh, the Jerusalem director of the Palestinian Authority General Intelligence Services.

They were arrested on suspicion that they helped abduct a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem two weeks ago, their lawyers said.

According to a report on Israel's Reshet 13 television, the Palestinian has both an Israeli identity card and U.S. citizenship. He is reportedly being held in the West Bank.

He was wanted by the Palestinian Authority for helping to sell property in Jerusalem's Old City to Jewish buyers, the report said.

In the past, Palestinians have imposed the death penalty on individuals convicted of selling land to Jews, though PA President Mahmoud Abbas has not authorized executions since his election in 2004.

Gheith's lawyer, Mohammed Mahmoud, said his client was ordered to keep out of Jerusalem and to pay a 20,000 shekel ($5,500) fine, and was also placed under house arrest for seven days.

The official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said Abbas had spoken by phone to both men following their release.

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Palestinians who sell land or property to Jews in Judea and Samaria are at risk of being targeted as collaborating with the Israeli settlement enterprise and are the subject of social pressure and violence and are sometimes murdered. Settlers say that a number of properties that were legally purchased from Palestinians are now embroiled in legal disputes after the sellers were pressured to renege on the deals.

Evidence of Nawi's alleged collaboration with the Palestinian security services to target Palestinians who sell property to Jews was gathered during an investigation by Ad Kan, a local advocacy group that defines its mission as "working to disprove the lies and misconceptions that are spread ‎about Israel" in the local and global arenas.

However, the right-wing Honenu legal aid organization had to petition the High Court of Justice to pressure the State Attorney's Office into taking action on the case.

In response to the High Court petition, the State Attorney's Office decided that the evidence provided sufficient grounds for an indictment.

The state also decided that a number of activists from Ad Kan, who were accused of illegal activity in their investigation of Nawi, will not be tried and the cases against them will be closed.

Ad Kan issued a statement saying, "Two and a half years after Ad Kan proved that radical activists from organizations like Taayush, B'Tselem, and Rabbis for Human Rights that call themselves human rights groups sent Palestinians to their deaths in several cases, for the sole reason that they considered selling land to Jews, and after a protracted legal battle. ... The state attorney has announced that it will be indicting Ezra Nawi. We hope that justice will be served without delay."

Ad Kan also opposed the state's decision to exclude counts of contact with a foreign agent and aiding and abetting manslaughter from the indictment against Nawi.

Attorney Adi Keidar from Honenu said it was a shame that his group had been forced to petition the High Court of Justice to get Nawi indicted.

Meanwhile, the State Attorney's Office decided to dismiss the charges against three individuals suspected of helping Nawi.

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