"The Land Shall Not Be Sold in Perpetuity"

The State of Israel is a unique phenomenon of a Western state where the majority of lands (more than 90 percent) are still owned by the State and by a public body related to it – The Jewish National Fund.

At the root of the national ownership of land lies the divine command stating that the Land of Israel belongs to God and therefore should not be traded in perpetuity. This principle, which was anchored in the Jewish National Fund’s Articles of Association and Regulations, was also adopted by the State of Israel in the first decade after its establishment, in the framework of a Basic Law and three land laws ensuring that most of the State lands would remain in the hands of the State.

The book describes and analyzes the history of the ideological, social and legal processes that took place in Israel with regard to the adoption of the national land principle, and is based wholly on primary sources, mainly government and Knesset discussions concerning the legislation process of the above mentioned laws.