Digging the Hole Deeper

Israel is determined to keep large areas of the West Bank.

It keep building more housing, more roads, more water pipes and more electric lines; all for the exclusive use of Jewish settlers of course. And it is encouraging more Jews to move there: both existing Israelis and new immigrants.

Most of this is well known. But what I recently found out is just how much the West Bank is being promoted to new immigrants. Turns out that a new "oleh" who moves to Tel-Aviv is offered $4000 as an immigration incentive package, while the same oleh, if he chooses to live in the West Bank is offered $30,000! I learned this on a very interesting blog: Ibn Ezra

And by the way, this money comes not directly from the Israeli government, but from diaspora base charities. Think of that next time you are asked to donate to "help settle immigrants" in Israel. The money is not (mostly) going to the Ethiopian child you see on the cover of the brochure, but to help hold on to the occupied territories and prevent a two state solution.