neighborhood of Jaffa, into properties owned by Palestinians who had fled during the War.77 This population, therefore, qualify as internally displaced persons (IDPs) since their displacement was forced and within the borders of the newly created state. Almost all of the lands, buildings, homes, factories, farms and religious sites belonging to refugees or internally displaced Palestinians from Jaffa were placed under Israeli control to be eventually privatized through several transfer stages. First, the properties were transferred to the Custodian of Absentee Property; later they became Israeli ‘state lands’ under the systematic land laws and polices enacted since the 1950s;78 then they were transferred to Israeli quasi-governmental organizations, and finally, to private individuals or companies. The transfer of ownership of property and lands from refugees and IDPs to the state of Israel is illegal according to customary IHL and human rights law, including refugee law. Despite this prohibition, Israel transferred ownership of Jaffa properties originally belonging to Palestinian refugees and IDPs to itself, and conferred their administration to Israeli government-owned companies such as Amidar79 and Halamish.80 The vast majority of Jaffa property, housing as well as other real estate, fell into the hands of the government and quasigovernmental companies like those aforementioned.81 These companies continue to play a crucial role in selling land and properties, mainly through auctions. They also have an intricate role in implementing coercive policies that pressure Palestinians to leave Jaffa.82 77 Sami Abu Shehadeh and Fadi Shbaytah, “Jaffa: From Eminence to Ethnic Cleansing,” Al-Majdal 39, no. 40, (Autumn 2008): 9, available at: http://www.badil.org/phocadownload/Badil_docs/ publications/al-majdal-39-40.pdf [accessed 19 September 2017] [hereinafter Abu Shehadeh and Shbaytah, “Jaffa”]. 78 Ibid. 79 Amidar was founded in 1949, a year after the Palestinian Nakba or establishment of Israel. It is the national Israeli company jointly owned by the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, and the Israeli government. The organization manages all public housing (Abu Shehadeh and Shbaytah, “Jaffa”, 13, supra note 77). 80 “Halamish was founded in 1961 and is jointly owned by the Israeli government and the Tel AvivJaffa Municipality. The state lent Halamish some funds to get started, with which it bought land and apartments.” (Orly Vilnai, “Public Housing Company Halamish May Sell Off Assets to Pay NIS 100 Million Debt to Treasury” Haaretz, 7 February 2012). 81 Nezar Al Sayyed, Consuming Tradition, Manufacturing Heritage (New York: Routledge, 2001), 254. 82 Jonathan Cook, “Jaffa ‘renewal plan’ aims at eviction,” The National, September 2008, available at: http://www.jonathan-cook.net/2008-09-15/affa-renewal-plan-aims-at-eviction/ [accessed 19 September 2017]. 33