# Israel and Palestine **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 10, 2003, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-palestine/147820 "2003-01-10T21:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-palestine/147820/21 "2003-01-14T00:45:21Z")
Ramp, both sources may be correct. 8% of ILA land (@7% of all land in Israel) is let out to non-Jews who are likely mostly Arabs and probably mostly Arab farmers. Arabs make up 20% of Israel’s population and if 2/3 of them are farmers who lease their land then it would add up that 50% of Arab farmers could be leasing their land from the ILA even with discriminatory practices in place. I hadn’t been aware of any of this. Still it is true that a private Jewish landowner is allowed to sell land to anyone. I didn’t know that there were so few private Jewish landowners. Or that the system was so discriminatory. The system does need reform if the secularists are to prevail. I understand its historical origins but today it is inappropriate. You hadn’t known about the consequences of sale to a Jew in the PA? ---
**Author:** ![rampisad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/858c86/32.png) [@rampisad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rampisad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-palestine/147820/22 "2003-01-14T09:14:38Z")
DS - I was using a bit of dramatic licence there - trying to make an impact! I’ll ditto your point - the system does need reform, but right now it’s a long way down the list of priorities, and will stay there until the fighting stops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israel-and-palestine/147820.md?page=1)