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Normally pro-Israeli, MILNET takes the opportunity to voice an objection to a stumbling block in any future peace negoation between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Building Targets for Suicide Bombers
In an article viewable currently on MSNBC, Newsweek's Dan Ephron reports on a confusing continuation of Israeli settler benefits. According to Ephron's research, Israeli settlers wishing to live "across the green line" into the normally Palestinian "held" West Bank, there are tax breaks, lower housing costs and perhaps other benefits too. And it doesn't appear to be a matter of building a house all alone -- the settlements are protected areas cleaved out of the territories.
The import of Israeli settlers continues today according to Ephron, despite Israel's rising deficit and struggling economy. The Newsweek reporter also quotes a Ben Gurion University ecnocomics professor who says it would take $6 billion dollars to relocate Israeli settlers currently living in Palestine, a figure which MILNET believes is an impossible to overcome line item in the cost of providing a Palestinian state -- unless of course the settlers are allowed to stay in the new Palestinian state.
In any case, the settlers are certainly risking a lot by purchasing newly built homes there. Acts of war, including terrorism are probably not insurable and there is that sticky issue of your own life being at risk. In fact, settlers are the prime target for missile and gun attacks -- few Jewish settlements have gone unscathed. For the Palestinians, the homes, if left after a setttler relocation program, serve as a reminder of Israeli occupation but in the long run would be occupied by Palestinians -- another logistics issue for the new Palestinian State.
It might be understandable why Israel hasn't coughed up the $6 billion to move settlers out, but to continue to build and export those looking for lower housing costs seems to be folly at its worst. Subsidies amounting to $300 million per year continue to pour into these housing projects, according to Ephron.
It certainly can't be productive in any future peace talks and the potential cost to relocate settlers out just keeps going up. We can imagine that Palestinians point at the continued migration as evidence of Israel's duplicity and that doesn't help negotiations either.
It would only seem prudent for Israel to subsidize people NOT to settle in Palestinian territories. Unless of course there is some other agenda at work here. Is the continued settlement thought to be just a negotiating item that can be added to the overall cost of the new state?
Ephron claims U.S. President Bush complained about the continued building last month.
With this and the logic contravening further settlement, it seems inexplicable why the settler issue remains. Israel need only stop giving the subsidies to the building industry and new units will stop being -- at least will be discouraged. Israel could also prohibit building permits or school and health care to new settlers. All quite doable and almost instantaneous. And using Ephron's $1.5 million defense budget figure, some portion of which includes security for the settlements, perhaps the savings could be used to build replacement homes on the Israeli side.
For instance, relocate Israeli settlers in batches to temporary housing, stand down security for that batches area, use the savings to build new homes for those in temp housing, then repeat the cycle until settlers are out. It's amazing that no one is voicing plans and options if Israel were serious about removing settlers.
One possible explanation that Ephron gives, is the support Prime Minister Sharon receives from settlers. Could this be a play by Sharon to not only keep his power base, but also to continue to grow it? What does that imply if, as predicted, Benjamin Netnanyhu takes office and then has to negotiate with the Palestinians? Will he be as willing to continue the Sharon policy?
The table below indicates some of the benefits afforded Israeli
settlers
in Palestinian territories:
| Benefit | Details |
| 7 % tax benefit | For homes built in the Palestinian Territory of West Bank, settlers receive a 7% tax break on already high income taxes. |
| ~ 40% lower cost
of home |
Subsidized building reduces the cost to the builder, which is then passed on to the settler -- $250,000 home built outside the territories goes for about $100,000 inside. The example, a Maaleh Adumim home purchased by Lisa Nhmani, interviewed by Newsweek reporter Dan Ephron. Apartments sales (not rentals) in Ariel, West Bank are going for $75,000 with the mayor of the settlement claiming a population goal of 6000 more units to the 17,000 plus units that already exist. |
| Land cost is 1/10 | Market value of land is one-tenth that on the Israeli side of the green line. This is obvious, land in a combat zone would be virtually worthless except for the other benefits. |
| Schools and health
care better |
Again, government subsidies allow better schools and teachers pay as well as allows health providers to provide their services at lower costs to the settler. |
Sources:
© Copyright, 2002, Michael Crawford, MILNET
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