# How many Settlements does Israel Need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 6, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599 "2017-07-06T13:31:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/21 "2017-07-08T02:54:15Z")
Thank you for clarifying Okrahoma. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/22 "2017-07-08T07:58:12Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Look, I am sorry I asked. There was a time Dopers could answer a factual question about Jewish housing in Israel and in occupied Palestine. Somehow we have allowed people who object to the question to start talking about rockets. > > As far as I am concerned, we might as well close the thread. The thing is, it’s very hard to discuss the issue without political bias entering it. The very fact that you used the term “occupied Palestine” is in and of itself a political statement, even if completely unintentional on your behalf. You can’t hold everyone else here to a higher standard. In any event, when you say talk about Israel needing something, what are you referring to exactly? The State of Israel as a whole? The current Israeli administration? Bibi Netanyahu as an individual? Israeli voters? The settlers themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/23 "2017-07-08T11:23:09Z")
There is no objective answer to "how many settlements does Israel need ? ". The Israel Land Authority is sitting on 70% of all land, and releases it slowly. When you say settlements, they are the ones over the border, and hence not Land Authority controlled. You could say they need less Land Authorities instead. Or they could just build taller apartment towers… and make it more like Singapore … ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/24 "2017-07-08T13:45:01Z")
We had an Ask The thread once from a settler who had moved from the US. It was pretty surreal to me. Said they moved there because it was _safer_. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/25 "2017-07-08T14:29:34Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > We had an Ask The thread once from a settler who had moved from the US. It was pretty surreal to me. Said they moved there because it was _safer_. Here is [the thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=189548). I couldn’t find where he said that. Maybe I missed it, or maybe there was another thread. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/26 "2017-07-08T14:56:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > We had an Ask The thread once from a settler who had moved from the US. It was pretty surreal to me. Said they moved there because it was _safer_. Were they from Little Rock, AR? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/27 "2017-07-08T15:03:29Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > There is no objective answer to "how many settlements does Israel need ? ". > > The Israel Land Authority is sitting on 70% of all land, and releases it slowly. > > When you say settlements, they are the ones over the border, and hence not Land Authority controlled. > > You could say they need less Land Authorities instead. > > Or they could just build taller apartment towers… and make it more like Singapore … Yes. Any ‘need’ is simply Israel’s desire expand outside of any borders which have a modicum of international agreement. Their population density is their own problem, not anyone else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/28 "2017-07-08T16:30:59Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Gandhi kicked the British out of India. He also managed to successfully implement a two-state solution. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/29 "2017-07-08T16:36:43Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Here is [the thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=189548). I couldn’t find where he said that. Maybe I missed it, or maybe there was another thread. I think it was in another thread, I remember it really clearly. (I also remember the name being different though so maybe there was either a name change or we’ve had two?) I’m looking. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/30 "2017-07-08T16:40:41Z")
> **[Ask the "crazy" settler](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578385)** > > Some background: 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... ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/31 "2017-07-08T16:44:40Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > 1. Israel today produces more water from desalination than it can use and actually exports water to Jordan. That is[not yet true](http://www.circleofblue.org/2016/middle-east/israels-mediterranean-desalination-plants-shift-regional-water-balance/) and may never be true. What is a true observation is the combination of the public investment (oh the socialism of the israelis…) in the public infrastructure in the rehabilitation of the water systems and the investment in the water recycling for the irrigation and the newer forms of the desalinizations have reduced the burden on the jordan river basin water extraction. and the easing of the regional drought. > [@](#): > > 1. Negev is not in the “West Bank”. But to a lot of Arabs, Negev and the rest of Israel is part of “disputed” territory. A lot of arabs? In 1973. The idea of Israel disappearing has not been the current money for decades, although a certian far political fringe in the USA likes to repeat the factoids of the past as if not a thing has changed… never mind even the Saudis have proposed the recognition almost two decades ago. > [@aceplace57](#): > > Thank you for clarifying Okrahoma. It is more accurate to thank for making the poorly founded assertions based on a certain kind of american domestic ideological vision. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/32 "2017-07-08T16:54:05Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > That is[not yet true](http://www.circleofblue.org/2016/middle-east/israels-mediterranean-desalination-plants-shift-regional-water-balance/) and may never be true. Israel Proves the Desalination Era Is Here [One of the driest countries on Earth now makes more freshwater than it needs](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/israel-proves-the-desalination-era-is-here/) "Enter desalination. The Ashkelon plant, in 2005, provided 127 million cubic meters (166 million cubic yards) of water. Hadera, in 2009, put out another 140 million cubic meters (183 million cubic yards). And now Sorek, 150 million cubic meters (196 million cubic yards). All told, desal plants can provide some 600 million cubic meters (785 million cubic yards) of water a year, and more are on the way. **The Sea of Galilee is fuller. Israel’s farms are thriving. And the country faces a previously unfathomable question: What to do with its extra water?**" Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/33 "2017-07-08T17:00:15Z")
Yes. Very good you have read the article. Now, you can find the documentation of the actuality of the current exportation of the water, beyond the jouranlistic flourishes. There are indeed the plans for a project jointly with the Jordanians, and it is possible to speak of the ‘virtual export’ of water via the agriculture. It is also to be observed the water balance improvement is not about the desalinization, it is about the overall investment in the water infrastructure… ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/34 "2017-07-08T17:07:07Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > Now, you can find the documentation of the actuality of the current exportation of the water, beyond the jouranlistic flourishes. [Israel to double water supply to Jordan](http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-israel-to-expand-water-supply-to-jordan-1001119521) ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/35 "2017-07-08T17:17:28Z")
Yes the Jordan river water basin water transfer and sharing under the historical peace accords. That is a water basin agreement. It is not the same subject as the water exportation. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/36 "2017-07-08T17:23:52Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > Yes the Jordan river water basin water transfer and sharing under the historical peace accords. That is a water basin agreement. > > It is not the same subject as the water exportation. FCOL. Here is my statement: “Israel today produces more water from desalination than it can use and actually exports water to Jordan.” Both parts of it are true. I proved it to you with cites. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/37 "2017-07-08T18:56:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > He also managed to successfully implement a two-state solution. A/ He really, really didn’t want that at all. _Really_. B/ It killed him. — ( courtesy of bonkers nazi-like Hindu nationalists. ) C/ Therefore Palestinians should strive for a pacific leader such as Gandhi or King who can be immediately assassinated. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/38 "2017-07-08T19:40:19Z")
Gandhi was killed because he was in favor of Muslim Indians have their own country of Pakistan? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/39 "2017-07-08T19:57:55Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Gandhi was killed because he was in favor of Muslim Indians have their own country of Pakistan? [Sorta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Mahatma_Gandhi). Or at least his assassin held him responsible for the chaos of the partition. Generally for being perceived as being too ecumenical, to the point of sacrificing Hindu interests. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599/40 "2017-07-08T20:10:03Z")
“Kill the guy who began nonviolent protest.” Damn. Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-settlements-does-israel-need/790599.md?page=3)