Israelis thumb their noses at US and EU: Housing prices in 'settlements' skyrocket
For those who are new or otherwise wondering why I put 'settlements' in scare quotes in the title to this post, it's because I hate the term. To me at least, it gives an impression of being something temporary, and I cannot think of any place populated by Jews in Israel as being a temporary home. Temporary homes for Jews only exist in the diaspora where we are supposed to pine for our imminent return to the land of Israel, and not in Israel itself. Surely as we sit a few days before Tisha b'Av, the fast that commemorates the destruction of the two Temples, we must understand that our forefathers were not sitting around waiting for their homes to be destroyed, even if they knew through the prophets that it was going to happen. Enough for my soapbox.
Israelis are becoming more secure that in fact the land of Israel - all of Israel - will remain ours. As a result, Jews are snapping up homes in Judea and Samaria as fast as they can be built, and prices are skyrocketing. The picture above is a partial view of Givat Zev, which is right outside Jerusalem, and which has been growing by leaps and bounds, filling more and more of the land that has been considered part of that town before the 1993 Oslo Accords. The picture was taken in April of this year.
But what's more impressive, as you will see in this article, is that
Kfar Tapuach, which is not part of a 'settlement bloc' like Givat Zev, has also seen its home prices rising.
The
first time Michal Ronen traveled to her rental apartment in this Jewish
settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, a firebomb struck
her bus.
“I was so hysterical,” she said. “I thought that happens every time.”
Now Ms. Ronen and her husband are looking to buy a home in Kfar Tapuach.
The
eagerness of Israelis to own a home on disputed land is an increasingly
important political and financial barrier to a comprehensive
Israeli-Palestinian peace based on two neighboring states, critics of
settlement expansion say.
Israel
has said that settlements aren’t an impediment to a two-state solution
because many of them could be exchanged for Israeli territory in a
future deal.
Prices
are rising faster in many Jewish settlements than in major cities such
as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv because of strong demand from Israeli home
buyers. Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu’s government is increasing the
incentives for settlers, despite objections from the U.S. and other
world powers to expanding the settlements.
Israel
would almost certainly have to compensate settlers for moving from any
land included in a future Palestinian state, according to researchers at
the Tel Aviv-based Macro Center for Political Economics. That would
amount to billions of dollars, depending on the number of settlers who
had to relocate, the center estimated.
Indeed. I don't trust 'Peace Now' for anything, so take this with a grain of salt, but look at this graphic.
It should be noted that all of the 'West Bank settlements' noted above are in 'settlement blocs,' areas that Israel says it would keep in any conceivable 'peace settlement' with the 'Palestinians.' The United States committed, during the
Bush administration, that Israel would in fact be allowed to keep the 'settlement blocs,' a promise that was
reneged upon by the self-proclaimed 'most pro-Israel administration evah.'
Congress backed the Bush commitment.
While home prices have risen because people want to move to Judea and Samaria because it appears safe to do so, that 'safety' theoretically ought to exist only in the 'settlement blocs.' None of that explains the meteoric rise in prices in Kfar Tapuach:
In Kfar Tapuach, where Ms. Ronen lives, the price of land has more than
tripled in the past five years, according to data from Israel-based
property website Madlan.
...
Residents
of Kfar Tapuach, a settlement of roughly 200 families near the
Palestinian city of Nablus, said house prices have benefited from the
growth of a university in the nearby settlement of Ariel.
Ms.
Ronen said she and her husband, Yuval, moved to the settlement because
Mr. Ronen studies engineering at the university. They live there with
their three children. “We now really want to buy a house,” she said,
adding that they say it has to be now because prices are “going up
crazy.”
Well yeah, but tripled? Ariel has had the university for many years (although it got university status officially
in 2012). And Israel is not like the US where you need a Bachelor's degree to be a plumber.
Yes, some of the rise is explained by straight supply and demand calculations: Under pressure from the self-proclaimed 'most pro-Israel administration evah' Israel has underbuilt even in the 'settlement blocs.' But if people felt they needed to worry constantly about being expelled from Judea and Samaria for a 'Palestinian state,' there would be no demand.
Bottom line: The rise in price is best explained by the fact that Israelis feel secure that their land will not be turned over to the 'Palestinians.' And that's good for everyone. Actions should have consequences.
Labels: Ariel University, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Givat Zev, housing crisis, Judea and Samaria, Kfar Tapuach, Middle East peace process, two-state solution
Border police foil suicide bombing, IDF looks for terror cell behind it
The border police
foiled a suicide bombing at the Tapuach junction in Samaria on Friday morning, and the IDF is now
searching for the three-member terror cell they believe to be behind the bombing. This is from the first link.
The suicide bomber wore heavy clothing on a
hot day and walked in a strange manner, arousing the suspicions of
Border Police officers at the junction. After being forced to lie on
the ground and reveal 12 pipe bombs wrapped around his body and
connected by wires. Border Police called in a bomb disposal team, which
dismantled the belt.
The Palestinian was then arrested and taken
for questioning while a bomb squad dismantled the explosives and
submitted the devices for further inspections to determine the explosive
material which was used.
The terrorist was identified as a Palestinian man in his 20's, who
arrived at the junction from Nablus area. Security forces believe that
the bomber intended to strike the soldiers at the check point but are
also investigating other possibilities
And the
search....
The assumption at this stage is that the suicide terrorist who was
captured wearing a bomb belt was brought to Tapuach Junction by three
other Arab terrorists, reports Walla!.
The three terrorists reportedly gave the apprehended terrorist clear instructions as to how to detonate the bomb belt.
IDF forces suspect that the three terrorists may have more bomb belts or other weapons, lending a true urgency to the pursuit.
The information likely was provided by the captured terrorist who was
brought in for investigation, after refusing IDF orders to remove his
unseasonably large coat at Tapuach Junction and then lying on the
ground.
And if you're wondering why this guy wasn't a suspect a long time ago....
A senior military official said that the terrorist who was apprehended
had no past history of connections to terrorism. The source added that
the terrorist said in investigation that he was supposed to detonate the
explosive himself, as opposed to some other terrorist detonating it
remotely.
No, the war is not over yet.
Labels: Kfar Tapuach, Palestinian terrorism, suicide bombers
And again: 'Palestinian' terrorist murders Israeli
An Israeli father of five was murdered on Tuesday morning at the Tapuach Junction in Northern Samaria by a 'Palestinian' terrorist.
An Israeli was killed in a terror attack at the Tapuah junction in
the northern West Bank on Tuesday morning, when he was attacked by a
Palestinian man at a hitchhiking spot at the junction.
The
Palestinian terrorist came up from behind the victim, identified as
Evyatar Borovsky, and then stabbed him in the chest, Judea and Samaria
Division Capt. Barak Raz told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.
Security forces are now seeking to verify whether the suspect acted
alone or was part of a larger terrorist organization. Initial
indications are that he acted alone.
Raz said army medical teams attempted to save Borovsky's life on the scene, but were unsuccessful.
"We're
investigating whether the terrorist discharged bullets from the weapon
he stole before or after security forces opened fire," Raz added.
...
The Border Police said minutes after the attack that a terrorist armed
with a knife attacked a settler at a hitching post, stole the man's gun
and fired at Border Patrol officers who were nearby. The officers
returned fire and wounded the man, and then took him into custody, the
Border Police said.
...
Avraham Benyamin, spokesman for Yitzhar, said Borovsky was a native
of Kfar Hasidim who had been living in Yitzhar with his wife and five
chldren for five years.
Benyamin said Borovsky had been a theater actor in a number of performance troupes and served on Yitzhar's security team.
In
a response to the murder, Benyamin said on behalf of the settlement
"the writing was on the wall, written in blood. This murder was a direct
refusal of the government's leniency towards rock-throwing terrorism
and the continued increase in terror attacks against Jews across Judea
and Samaria."
He added that the settlement demands a "painful and
serious response to erase the shame of this incident and in order to
show the residents that their lives are not worthless."
Don't hold your breath.
Israel Hayom
adds:
A preliminary investigation of the incident suggested
that the terrorist, a resident of Tulkarem, arrived at the junction
armed with a knife. He stabbed the victim, who was waiting at a
hitchhiking stop, several times in the chest, and grabbed his handgun.
He then opened fire at a nearby Border Police patrol and subsequently
tried to flee, but the police officers returned fire and subdued him.
According to a Border Police spokesman, the perpetrator had run into a
roadblock, preventing him from causing more damage with the stolen gun.
...
According to
media reports, the terrorist had been released from an Israeli prison,
where he served a three-year sentence for throwing rocks, less than six
months ago. The terrorist's brother, who is currently jailed in the
Palestinian Authority, faced trial on Sunday for allegedly cooperating
with Israel. Speculation has been raised that the terrorist may have
committed the attack in order to restore his family's honor.
Later Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces troops raided the home of the perpetrator, named as Salam Za'al, Israeli media reported.
Borovsky was the youngest of four brothers,
and has been living in the settlement of Yitzhar for five years. He
worked as an actor in several ensembles and was a part of the Yitzhar
security team. His eldest son is seven years old.
Here we go again? I hope not.
Labels: Kfar Tapuach, Palestinian terrorism, Yitzhar
'Palestinians' upset over Menorahs in Samaria
Chanuka starts on Wednesday night, and as is the case in Jewish communities around Israel and around the world, Menorahs will be on display outside people's homes and outside the entrances to their communities. The Menorah pictured above is outside the Jewish community of Kfar Tapuach, which is in Samaria, and it has gotten the 'Palestinians'
quite upset.
[Google translation]
Nablus, WAFA 29/11/2010 - Settlers placed a huge brass candlestick on the outskirts of the city of Nablus in the West Bank.
Witnesses said that the menorah set by a crane near the triangle Za'tara a few kilometers south of Nablus, and pointed out that this region is a center to collect a number of extremist Jewish settlements.
The menorah is often used in Jewish religious rituals, and ideology settlers in the West Bank seek to impose their through these actions.
David Ha'ivri, Director of the Shomron Liaison Office said in response:
Chanuka is one of the most nationally identifying holidays of the Jewish people, we celebrate the amazing victories of the Maccabees who fought against all odds and succeeded in freeing our holy city Jerusalem from the Greek invaders and re-lit the candles of the Menorah on the Temple Mount. Through these brave actions the heroic Macabee warriors set down the barrier to assimilation of the Jewish people into the nations. Historicaly all of the battles of the Jewish army under the leadership of Yehuda Macabee took place within the areas of Yehuda and Shomron (the West Bank) and the most famous of them all was the purification of the Temple Mount. Those are the events that we celebrate for 8 days starting tonight. Around the world Jews will hold public display of the candle lighting but there is no place more significant then showing the light of Chanuka in Shomron and Yehuda.
And now you're all about to get an education, because here's a map of where all the Macabee battles took place:
More on this story
here.
Labels: Chanuka, Judea and Samaria, Kfar Tapuach
