Note: one dunum = 1,000 sq.m.
Note: in 1948, £P1 = £UK1 = $US4.03
Section One: Official Studies
1. ISRAELI ESTIMATES
Weitz-Danin-Lifshits Committee, 1948
Scope of Abandoned Land
| Type | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Rural | |
| Orchards | 92,615 |
| Bananas | 513 |
| Irrigated land, olives, fruit, grapes | 164,832 |
| Cereal | 1,645,183 |
| Built-up area in villages | 10,844 |
| TOTAL | 1,913,987 |
| Urban | |
| Acre | 1,430 |
| Safad | 3,699 |
| Tiberias | 3,861 |
| Jaffa | 10,639 |
| Lydda | 21,570 |
| Ramla | 37,961 |
| Jerusalem | 8,698 |
| Haifa | 6,269 |
| TOTAL | 94,127 |
| GRAND TOTAL: | 2,008,114 |
Source: ISA (130) 2445/3, “Report on a Settlement of the Arab Refugee [Issue]” (November 25, 1948), appendix 9; CZA A246/57, “Comments on Value Assessments of Absentee Landed Property” (November 12, 1962)
Value of Abandoned Land
Source: ISA (130) 2445/3, “Report on a Settlement of the Refugee [Issue]” (November 25, 1948), appendix 9
Minister of Agriculture, 1949
Scope of Abandoned Land
| Type | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| 1. Total | |
| Cultivable | 1,373,000 |
| Waste and barren | 2,720,000 |
| Northern Beersheba | 1,700,000 |
| Southern Beersheba | 10,800,000 |
| TOTAL | 16,593,000 |
| (only 400,000 dunums were deemed available for leasing) | |
Source: Aharon Tsizling, “Ways of Settlement Development in the State of Israel,” Kama (1951), p. 111, in Granott, Agrarian Reform, p. 89; Labor Party Archives, IV-235–1, file 2251A, in Golan “The Transfer to Jewish Control,” p. 423
Custodian of Absentee Property, 1949–1954
Scope and Value of Refugee Land
Source: ISA (43) 5440/1578, “Interim Report on Real Estate Held by Custodian” (24 March 1949); ISA (43) 5440/1582, “Report of Custodian of Absentees’ Office” (31 March 1950); ISA (130) 2402/4, “State Controller Report on the Custodian of Absentees’ Property” (29 March 1951); CZA A202/97, “Custodian of Absentees’ Property Report” (22 February 1953); CZA KKL5/22273, “Report on the Land Administration System of the State” (5 September 1954)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1953
Scope of Abandoned Land
| Type | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Cultivable | 2,600,000 |
| Non-cultivable | 900,000 |
| Underdeveloped urban land | 100,000 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 3,600,000 |
Source: NARA RG 59, 884A.16/5–453, Tel Aviv to Department of State (4 May 1953)
Ministry of Justice, Land Assessment Division, 1962
Value of Abandoned Land
Over £P140,000,000
2. ARAB ESTIMATES
Arab Refugee Property Owners in Palestine, 1951
Value of Refugee Property
| Type | Value (£UK) |
|---|---|
| 1. Cities (Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa) | |
| Land | 100–500/sq.m. |
| Buildings | 10–25/sq.m./floor plus value of land |
| 2. Towns | |
| Land | 3–30/sq.m. |
| Buildings | 10–25/sq.m. plus value of land |
| 3. Villages | |
| Built-up land | 250–500/sq.m. |
| Buildings | 3–10/sq.m./floor plus value of land |
| 4. Agricultural land in the plains | |
| Fruit trees | 300–500/sq.m. |
| Other | 75–150/sq.m. |
| 5. Agricultural land in the hills | |
| Fruit trees | 50–100/sq.m. |
| Other | 25–50/sq.m. |
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Reference Library. Series: United Nations/Box 10/ORG; Document: ORG/37, “Letter Addressed to the Conciliation Commission by the Committee of Arab Refugee Property Owners in Palestine” (May 7, 1951)
Arab Higher Committee, 1955
Value of Refugee Property
| Type | Value (P£) |
|---|---|
| Citrus | 100,000 |
| Banana | 1,000,000 |
| Orchards | 275,000,000 |
| Cultivable and Pasture Land | 250,000,000 |
| Urban and Rural Built-up | 1,100,000,000 |
| TOTAL | 1,626,100,000 |
Source: Arab Higher Committee, “al-Laji’un al-Filastiniyyun: Dahaya al-Isti’mar wa’l-Sahyuniyya” [The Palestinian Refugees: Victims of Imperialism and Zionism] (Cairo: 1955), pp. 81–93 and Arab Higher Committee, “Statement” (Beirut: 1961), pp. 19–24, both in Yusif Sayigh, al-Iqtisad al-Isra’ili [The Israeli Economy] (Cairo: League of Arab States, Institute for Higher Arab Studies, 1966), pp. 112–113
Arab League, 1956
Value of Refugee Property
| Item | Value (£UK) |
|---|---|
| Citrus plantations, including buildings, machinery, etc. | 100,000,000 |
| Banana plantations | 1,000,000 |
| Olive groves, fruit plantations, other trees | 275,000,000 |
| Cereal lands, good quality | 30,000,000 |
| Cereal lands, medium quality; grazing lands | 220,000,000 |
| Urban lands, buildings; factories, machinery; livestock, | 100,000,000 |
| Movables of all types | 200,000,000 |
| Blocked securities and deposits in banks | 6,000,000 |
| Blocked insurance companies’ funds | 1,000,000 |
| TOTAL | 1,933,000,000 |
Source: J. Khoury, Arab Property and Blocked Accounts in Occupied Palestine (Cairo: League of Arab States, General Secretary, Palestine Section), 1956), p. 20
3. UN ESTIMATES
UNRWA Sample Study, 1950
Refugee Property Losses According to Sampling of Refugees in Jordan
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP; Subgroup: Office of the Principal Secretary. Series: Records Relating to Compensation/Box 18/1949–51/Working Papers; Document: W/60, “Sampling Survey of Abandoned Property Claimed by Arab Refugees” (April 12, 1951)
UNCCP Global Estimate, 1951
Scope of Refugee Land
Value of Refugee Land
| Type of Land | Value (£P) |
|---|---|
| Rural land | 69,525,144 |
| Urban land | 21,608,640 |
| Jerusalem land | 9,250,000 |
| TOTAL | 100,383,784 |
Source: “Valuation of Abandoned Arab Land in Israel,” p. 2. This report is found in several locations. One is UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Refugee Office. Series: Land Specialist/Box 35/1951/Reports: J.M. Berncastle; Document: MCP/3/51/9, “Valuation of Abandoned Arab Land in Israel” (14 August 1951). It can also be located in the Central Zionist Archives: CZA Z6/1995.
UNCCP Technical Program, 1964 [compare with amended figures below]
Scope of All Rural and Urban Arab Land in Israel
* R/P1 forms were not drawn up for an additional 1,811,000 dunums of cultivable land in the Beersheba sub-district that were assumed to be cultivated by bedouin Arabs Source: UN Document A/AC.25/W.84, “Working Paper Prepared by the Commission’s Land Expert on the Methods and Techniques of Identification and Valuation of Arab Refugee Immovable Property Holdings in Israel” (April 28, 1964)
** adding the 1,811,000 dunums of land in Beersheba assumed to be cultivated by bedouin Arabs but for which no R/P1 forms were drawn up
Estimated Scope of Land Owned by Arabs Still Living in Israel
| Sub-District | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Acre | 318,714 |
| Baysan | 9,390 |
| Nazareth | 190,182 |
| Safad | 30,222 |
| Tiberias | 50,323 |
| Haifa | 170,238 |
| Janin | 86,554 |
| Nablus | 0 |
| Tulkarm | 140,231 |
| Hebron | 7,649 |
| Jerusalem | 3,186 |
| Ramallah | 0 |
| Jaffa | 40 |
| Ramla | 5,320 |
| Gaza | 0 |
| TOTAL | 1,012,059 |
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Principal Secretary. Series: Records Relating to the Technical Office/Box 16/1952–57/Land Identification Project/Jarvis Report; Document: A/AC.25/W.83, “Initial Report of the Commission’s Land Expert on the Identification and Valuation of Arab Refugee Property Holdings in Israel” (15 September 1961)
Scope of Rural and Urban Refugee Land in Israel
Value of All Rural Arab Land in Israel
| Sub-District | Value (£P) |
|---|---|
| Acre | 15,051,225 |
| Baysan | 3,464,834 |
| Nazareth | 5,595,879 |
| Safad | 7,323,092 |
| Tiberias | 3,805,192 |
| Haifa | 11,757,629 |
| Janin | 4,357,696 |
| Nablus | 540,660 |
| Tulkarm | 11,987,299 |
| Hebron | 12,443,989 |
| Jerusalem | 10,598,408 |
| Ramallah | 135,150 |
| Jaffa | 23,560,057 |
| Ramla | 22,190,429 |
| Gaza | 19,579,534 |
| Beersheba | 15,000,000 |
| TOTAL | 167,395,073 |
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Principal Secretary. Series: Records Relating to the Technical Office/Box 16/1952–57/Land Identification Project/Jarvis Report; Document: A/AC.25/W.83 ADD 1, “Initial Report of the Commission’s Land Expert on the Identification and Valuation of Arab Refugee Property Holdings in Israel” (September 10, 1962)
Value of All Urban Arab Land in Israel
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Principal Secretary. Series: Records Relating to the Technical Office/Box 16/1952–57/Land Identification Project/Jarvis Report; Document: A/AC.25/W.83 ADD 1, “Initial Report of the Commission’s Land Expert on the Identification and Valuation of Arab Refugee Property Holdings in Israel” (10 September 1962)
Value of Rural and Urban Refugee Land in Israel
Source: UNSA DAG 13–3, UNCCP. Subgroup: Principal Secretary. Series: Records Relating to the Technical Office/Box 16/1952–57/Land Identification Project/Jarvis Report; Document: A/AC.25/W.83 ADD 1, “Initial Report of the Commission’s Land Expert on the Identification and Valuation of Arab Refugee Property Holdings in Israel” (September 10, 1962)
UNCCP Technical Program Figures as Amended by Computerization of the Data, 2000
Scope of Land (Including Land of Palestinians Still in Israel) in Dunums
4,851,613.978
Value of Land (including Land of Palestinians Still in Israel) in £P
224,815,931
Section Two: Unofficial, Academic, Other Studies
Studies of Yosef Weitz, 1948 and 1950
Scope of Abandoned Land Outside the Beersheba District
| Type, Location | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| 1. Good land | |
| Coastal plains | 959,701 |
| Jezre’el Valley | 128,714 |
| Hula Valley | 51,847 |
| Baysan | 81,274 |
| Galilee hills | 348,458 |
| Samarian hills | 82,476 |
| Judean hills | 85,910 |
| Judean lowlands | 331,890 |
| 2. Poor land | 136,530 |
| 3. Matruka | 751,730 |
| 4. “Government” land | 486,750 |
| 5. Land held by Custodian of German Property (included because this land had Arab tenants who later became refugees) | 39,320 |
| 6. Urban | 100,000 |
| TOTAL | 3,584,600 |
* included: land lying outside Israel belonging to villages lying within Israel
* not included: Beersheba district, land in partially-abandoned villages
Value of Abandoned Land Appropriate for Settlement, Including Beersheba
Source: Yosef Weitz, “le-Hanhil Adama Hadasha” [Bequest of New Land], Molad 2, 12 (March 1949), p. 325; Weitz, The Struggle for the Land, p. 113–114
Study of Yusif Sayigh, 1966
Scope and Value of Refugee Land
Source: Yusuf ‘Abdullah Sayigh, al-Iqtisad al-Isra’ili [The Israeli Economy] (Cairo: League of Arab States, Institute for Higher Arab Studies, 1966), p. 109.
Scope and Value of Refugee Buildings
Source: Sayigh al-Iqtisad al-Isra’ili, pp. 107–108.
Value of Refugee Capital and Movable Property
| Type | Value (£P) |
|---|---|
| Furniture, personal goods | |
| rural | 12,500,000 |
| urban | 50,000,000 |
| Factory equipment | 15,000,000 |
Capital goods in offices, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops |
3,000,000 |
| Inventories | 5,000,000 |
| Farm animals | 10,000,000 |
| Bank accounts and insurance policies | 2,000,000 |
| Commercial vehicles | 15,000,000 |
| TOTAL | 112,500,000 |
Source: Sayigh al-Iqtisad al-Isra’ili, pp. 108–110
Study of Sami Hadawi and Atif Kubursi, 1988
Scope of Arab Land in Israel
| Type | Amount (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| 1. Outside Beersheba District | |
| Urban | 112,000 |
| Citrus and banana | 132,849 |
| Village built-up | 21,160 |
| Cultivable (tax categories 5–8) | 471,672 |
| Cultivable (tax categories 9–13) | 2,937,683 |
| Cultivable (tax categories 14–15) | 444,541 |
| Uncultivable | 2,377,946 |
| Roads, etc. | 83,161 |
| TOTAL | 6,581,012 |
| 2. Beersheba District | 12,450,000 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 19,031,012 |
Source: Sami Hadawi, Palestinian Rights & Losses in 1948. A Comprehensive Study. Part V: An Economic Assessment of Total Palestinian Losses written by Dr. Atef Kubursi (London: Saqi Books, 1988) p. 113
Value of Refugee Land
| Type | Value (P£) |
|---|---|
| Urban land | 130,300,000 |
| Rural land | 398,600,000 |
| TOTAL | 528,900,000 |
Source: Hadawi, Palestinian Rights & Losses in 1948, p. 187
Study of Frank Lewis, 1996
Scope of Arab-Owned Land in Israel in 1948
Source: Frank D. Lewis, “Agricultural Property and the 1948 Palestinian Refugees: Assessing the Loss.” Explorations in Economic History 33 (1996): 173
Value of Rural Abandoned Arab Property in Israel
| Item | Value (£P) |
|---|---|
| Land | 144,500,000–180,700,000 |
| Farm implements * | 3,300,000 |
| Livestock * | 10,200,000 |
| Buildings * | 29,700,000 |
| * Includes non-refugees | |
| TOTAL VALUE OF ABANDONED LAND, BUILDINGS, IMPLEMENTS, LIVESTOCK | 168,800,000–205,000,000 |