Another Reason Why The Faux "Peace Negotiations" Endanger Israel

the turn-off to Ramat Shlomo
from Begin Highway

Last night I caught another very disturbing news report on Israeli television. There are now protests, complaints etc concerning the building of a new section of Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood.  From the description on tv, it seems that this new Jewish neighborhood is in the direction of Ramat Shlomo, which is in the former "no-man's land" 1948-1967.

On the news they kept saying that any building outside the "green line," even in land that was long ago annexed by Israel as part of our Capital City Jerusalem, endangers the "peace" sic negotiations.  It was clear that the news editors wanted us to accept that, G-d forbid, any land in the Jerusalem area not yet populated by Jews will be given to the Arabs. This is outrageous and shows a lack of recognition of Israeli sovereignty and legitimacy.

This extreme Left wing "peace at any price" policy not only endangers the State of Israel in terms of viability and security, it is also causing continued financial hardship to hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who can't afford to buy apartments and are wasting large percentages of their monthly income on rent.

One of the biggest financial problems in Israel is finding affordable housing.  We haven't had any quantity of public, affordable housing built for years.  This causes a terrible financial burden on those who've never bought and on growing families.

With the lifting of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's building freeze of a few years ago, things began looking up, at least in Judea and Samaria.  I've noticed a lot of housing starts in Ariel recently.

There's excellent public transportation from Ariel to the Petach Tikva/Tel Aviv area.  There is also a popular and growing university in Ariel, which attracts students, both Jews and Arabs, from all over the country. There's also bus service to Jerusalem and well maintained highways and roads to all parts of Israel.  The best and fastest Israeli highway, the first toll road in the country, has an exit/entrance not far from Ariel.

Eli's new "apartments"

Housing prices, like all economic indices (is that the plural of index?) is a result of supply and demand. Increase the supply to meet (and even surpass the demand for a while,) and your prices will drop.

Too much of the building going on in Israeli cities are luxury apartments which do not serve the needs of the local population.

More luxury housing being built in Jerusalem

The New York Times Agenda, Against Israel

Before illustrating the organized and vicious campaign in the New York Times and by the Obama administration against Israel, I'm showing you a couple of pictures to illustrate the location of Ramat Shlomo.  It's in a Jerusalem forest, former no-man's land.





I photographed these yesterday when traveling the "Ramot Road" on my way to downtown Jerusalem.  I rolled down the car-window, but we couldn't stop.  Ramat Shlomo was built on empty land, between other Jerusalem neighborhoods, Ramat Eshkol, French Hill, Ramot and the Har Chotzvim Industrial Park.

New York Times op-ed columnist, Maureen Dowd admits that she's a spokesperson for the Arabs repeatedly  mentioning that Arab officials  spoke to her about Israel.
At least she's on the opinion page.

"Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, warned me..."
"Arab leaders groused to me..."

And about Obama and his advisers, I think they've gotten it all wrong.

“That’s not how you treat your best friend,” said one Obama official.

Reverse that, please.  You're neither acting nor speaking like a friend of Israel.  Israel ought to rethink its relationship to the United States.  Obama sure doesn't treat Israel like a friend.

Another of the New York Times op-ed columnists, Thomas Friedman, can't see the forest for the trees. His recent article details the disagreements, anarchy and unstable leadership among the Pseudostinian, aka Palestinian sic, leadership, but he doesn't take his observations a crucial step further.  It's obvious that none of these Arab leaders, even the most moderate and western, are capable of guaranteeing peace and stability for the Middle-east and security for Israel.  It just won't work.

The entire concept of "two states" is an unworkable mistake.  It's like expecting Santa Claus to cover your credit card bill for Xmas presents.  America can live in La-la Land, but I'm too pragmatic for that.  My life and further and the future existence of my country require that I think for myself and not trust any foreign leaders nor the media.  Dowd refers to a "defiant Israel." Let her call us whatever she wishes.  I don't care what she thinks.  Her antipathy is obvious.

We in Israel must make our own decisions about what's best for our secuity and our future.  Let the world butt out!

About Ramat Shlomo, Jerusalem, An Interesting Clarification

Hat tip: IMRA

When people hear the term "East Jerusalem" they think of a old, rundown section of Jerusalem teeming with Arabs.  They don't think of the fancy apartments and homes in Beit Chanina, nor of Jews and Jewish History.  The labeling of Ramat Shlomo as "East Jerusalem" makes people think its an enclave, like the Jewish buildings supported and protected by the Ir David, City of David Foundation.

Now just to clarify before the clarification, Jews have the right to live and build in any neighborhood in Jerusalem and any part of the Land of Israel.  Anyone who says otherwise is supporting anti-Jewish apartheid, immorally discriminating against Jews.  The fact that Jews are forbidden to live as Jews in various countries in the Middle East is contrary to the accepted norms of civil rights, and I don't understand why there aren't international protests against this.  Can we credit latent antisemitism?

Now, I'm just curious.  Do you know where Ramat Shlomo is?  Next to which Jerusalem neighborhood is it adjacent?

Basically, Ramat Shlomo is in the middle of a forest in what was once considered "no man's land."  Between 1948/9 and 1967, it was pretty much ignored by both Israel and Jordan.

It's located between Ramot, Ramat Eshkol and French Hill accessed by a new road.  Nobody lived there before Ramat Shlomo was built.  I wish I had some pictures to show you.

Again, I'm going to repeat that there is a terrible housing shortage in Jerusalem.  Prices are sky high, and that's the reason many people have been forced to leave the city.  Especially under former mayor Ehud Olmert, luxury housing projects especially in the center of the city were approved.  The apartments are used mainly as vacation and "future" aliyah homes for wealthy Jews who visit on occasion.

We need many more housing projects for ordinary Jewish families and singles.  The Israeli Government has been terribly slow about building and approving such projects.  Part of it is that they're kowtowing to foreign pressure, like the present situation with the United States.  We must do what's best for us and build.