Anonymous wrote:My understanding is they are there largely because the Israeli government has encouraged and incentivized it.

Yes. This is the cause of conflict

We need to stop all Aid to Israel and Egypt.

I am 60 year old white man in US and I detest what Israel has done.

Living in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem is very expensive. TLV is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Israelis who have long standing ties to the country (eg, their family has been there for 50+ years) tend to own a lot of real estate. My friends in TLV all live in inherited housing or had significant family help in buying their home.

If you want to have a couple of kids and you are newer arrival to the country, you are truly priced out of the nicer areas. So then you start looking at home out in the countryside settlements not far from the borders of the West Bank or Gaza. New housing, affordable, tight knit communities, pastoral setting to raise kids - it's sort of ideal. Particularly during COVID when people were trying to get out of the city. The settlements near Gaza tend to be a bit more moderate in their politics.

In contrast, the hardcore orthodox are moving into "illegal" settlements in the West Bank. Essentially, they are walled-off pockets of settlements surrounded by Palestinians. They are purposely moving to these places for political reasons, plus cheap housing.

It was widely considered to be much more dangerous to live in the West Bank settlements than those that were attacked in the Hamas raid this past weekend. That's why they were so lightly defended. Further, all these settlements come with secured safe rooms, but reports state that Hamas set the houses on fire and these safe rooms became literal ovens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is they are there largely because the Israeli government has encouraged and incentivized it.

Bingo!

np, I had the same question as OP. IMO, even if the govt provided monetary incentives, I would not want to live in a neighborhood that borders an area where people hate me, and actively have had in the past committed violent acts against people like me.

It's like a POC or a Jew choosing to live in a neighborhood that borders a town that is known to have a lot of white supremacists. That seems like not a good idea.

I'm a POC myself.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't live anywhere my family was constantly under threat of a attack if I had any other options. For some over there (on both sides) this is a mission, a calling. Its bizarre.

My understanding from all of the people of Palestinian descent that I have ever met is that people are desperate to send the younger members of their family abroad whenever they can, never to return. The elderly are the ones who insist on staying.

I wouldn't live anywhere my family was constantly under threat of a attack if I had any other options. For some over there (on both sides) this is a mission, a calling. Its bizarre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Looking at a map of Israel the vast majority of the country isn’t up against a border with people who want to destroy you.

Israel has a lot of underutilized real estate. Maybe we should send the GreaterGreaterWashington folks there to scold them about how they use their land.

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is they are there largely because the Israeli government has encouraged and incentivized it.

Bingo!

My understanding is they are there largely because the Israeli government has encouraged and incentivized it.

Anonymous wrote:You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Yes stupid American. Know your place! Write the checks for we can continue this for the next 50 years.

Anonymous wrote:Upfront I deplore what Hamas is doing and the horrific violence.

My question is why people choose to live so close to a border with a hostile “nation”. Is there something about that area that is compelling, or some industry that is located there? Not just here but a village along the DMZ in South Korea, or really any other place so close to an enemy.

I think I would feel very unsettled and unsafe all the time but maybe I am just very risk averse. Does anyone have friends or family who have made that choice?

choose to live? You have a vast misunderstanding of how the world is outside (mostly) of the US.

Anonymous wrote:You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Looking at a map of Israel the vast majority of the country isn’t up against a border with people who want to destroy you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Your statement is the ignorant one.

You’re the one who thinks that people should only live in places that terrorist religious extremists allow us to.

Anonymous wrote:You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Your statement is the ignorant one.

You are an ignorant American who thinks the whole world has plenty of space like we have here. People have a right to live anywhere they choose without being threatened with terrorist murder.

Upfront I deplore what Hamas is doing and the horrific violence.

My question is why people choose to live so close to a border with a hostile “nation”. Is there something about that area that is compelling, or some industry that is located there? Not just here but a village along the DMZ in South Korea, or really any other place so close to an enemy.

I think I would feel very unsettled and unsafe all the time but maybe I am just very risk averse. Does anyone have friends or family who have made that choice?