A bill that would ensure Jewish National Fund land is leased solely to Jews would be “harmful to the Jewish people,” contends JNF deputy chairman Menachem Liebovitz.

In an interview with Haaretz on Monday, Liebovitz said most of the JNF leadership opposes the law, which calls for the JNF to exchange land with the Israel Lands Administration (ILA). The JNF tracts to be exchanged are zoned for urban development, with the ILA lands located in rural areas. 

The bill, discussed Monday at a meeting of the Knesset Economics Committee, was approved in its first reading by 64 lawmakers.