We made aliyah (moved to Israel) just over 3 years ago. Our yishuv (settlement) is over the green line, although we didn’t choose to live here because of that. On our pre-aliyah “pilot trip,” we narrowed our choice of communities down to two places - either Maaleh Adumim (east of Jerusalem, also over the green line), or here.
So, all in all, we think we made the best choice. There is a great quality of life here, and we are happy with our decision. We did not move here to make a political statement, but our being here makes a statement nevertheless.
I chose the enclose the word “crazy” in the title because, well, I don’t think I’m crazy, but it seems that almost everywhere I read about settlers, the word crazy precedes it.
So, if anyone has any questions, remember to raise your hands.
Thank you for starting this. So - how do you feel about the current status of the peace talks and how the building of new settlements is a hot-button issue?
And it sounds like, in your situation, you are not in any form of…active danger?
Where did you live before moving?
If it’s not a political statement, why not just live in a non-disputed city or a suburb? In other words, what attracted you to the settler lifestyle?
What is the settlement like? Is there electricity, running water?
How far is it to a city?
What does a settler do for a living? Are you farmers or something?
Pardon me if these questions are stupid, but my entire understanding of settlers is related to the European conquest by force and subsequent settlement of the Americas and Australia.
How do you feel about the fact you are committing a crime according to every major organsiation aside from Israel and her hardcore allies? eg the EU, International Court if Justice, Un etc. etc. have all concluded that your ocuupation of occupied territory is a criminal act?
How do you feel about the fact that. legalities aside, you are living on land taken by miliary force from innocent people who are now forced to live as refugees or second class citizens?
I don’t think Abbas really has enough power to negotiate. If he did, he would not have waited until the end of the 10 month building restriction to start. He’s been quoted in the Israeli press as saying he will leave the negotiations if he is asked to make any concessions, whether it’s concerning borders, Jerusalem, refugees, or anything else. That, to me, is not negotiating.
I don’t think Netanyahu will be able to hold his coalition together should he divide Jerusalem, and probably not if he gives back any of what’s over the green line.
There were inspectors here to make sure there was no illegal building going on. There were near-riots in some areas as people attempted to block inspectors from entering the settlements. At the time, my kid’s school emptied out,and most of the kids joined the efforts to block them.
That depends how you define “danger.” If you mean are we actively being invaded or hit by mortar or rocket fire (as happened today in the south), then no. However, there are constant reports of rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at cars on an almost daily basis. By rocks, I mean projectiles that do serious damage; rocks that weigh several pounds.
It’s like suburbia everywhere else. Houses, apartments, shopping center, gym/pool, softball field, basketball/hockey court. Plenty of electricity and running water. The nearest city is about 25 km away. We have public transportation. Most people work in the Tel Aviv area, but there are some who work in the Jerusalem area.
We live here because it’s relatively small, and fairly inexpensive to afford (although the housing prices have gone up). The schools are very good here as well. It’s quiet. These are all things we looked for.
There’s no “settler lifestyle.” We live a suburban life pretty much like anyone else.
If the UN, the EU, and the International Court of Justice would worry about the worries, ills, and troubles of the entire world as much as they worried about Israel, the world would be a much better place.
Another dumb American here; I don’t know about the rules and not enough about the situation over there…
Is moving to a settlement outside the green line incentivized? What I mean is, is it way cheaper or advantageous, financing-wise, to live over the green line? Or is it actually worse, financially?
I assume you were an American citizen and have now changed your citizenship or are in the process of doing so. From your description, it does sound like any American suburb/exurb: reasonable housing costs, good schools, shopping centers, public transit, moderate commute to work. Which leads to two other questions.
Why move to another country if you could have had the same quality of life in the one where you already lived?
Isn’t the term ‘settler’ a little over-dramatic? It sounds like you guys are suburbanites. Half the people in my office live more than 25km outside of the city, on land that was farms or wilderness before they built housing developments there. Nobody would call them settlers.
I’m pretty uneducated about settlements too besides what I know about their contentious, political nature so please bear with me. Who is allowed to live in a settlement… just Israelis or must you be Jewish too? Do you have to agree to anything unusual beforehand, like what you’ll do if ownership is transferred back to pre- '67 norms? Are you surrounded by fences or checkpoints or any sort of monitored security apparatus?