Settlers launch drive in U.S. to sell homes in occupied West Bank

[Watser?]

Well, this is a new record in shamelessness...

Settlers launch first drive in U.S. to sell homes
By Daphna Berman

A campaign launched this week to convince American Jews to buy homes in the West Bank is the first organized sales effort of its kind, activists from both sides of the political spectrum said.

Amana, the settlement arm of Gush Emunim, hosted housing fairs in New York and New Jersey this week and plans are underway for similar events in Miami and Chicago.

Never before have Diaspora Jews been asked to directly underwrite settlement expansion by either buying or financing the building of West Bank homes. But spurred by what they have termed a successful start, Amana has set its sights on Jewish communities throughout the U.S., with hopes of expanding the new and somewhat surprising trend.

About eight homes in settlements, including Kiryat Arba and Karnei Shomron, were sold this week and dozens of American buyers are "seriously considering" purchasing in the coming weeks, representatives of Amana told AngloFile.

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Michael Sfard, an attorney for Peace Now, filed a complaint with the attorney general against Amana last year, demanding a criminal investigation because the settler organization continues to expand its outposts.

Representatives for Peace Now also take issue with the Amana claim that there is a need for such a campaign. "There are many empty houses in the settlements and there is no housing shortage," said Dror Etkes, director of Peace Now's Settlements Watch program. "They are doing this to increase their cash flow."

Activists also say that calling the project "legal" is somewhat dubious. "Settlers are supposed to get building permits and if they have done so, selling these homes would be legal under Israeli law. Of course, it's totally illegal under international law," said Adam Keller, spokesperson for Gush Shalom.

He also says that the timing for the campaign is hardly coincidental. "The settlers need the financial and political support of the ultra-Orthodox [sic] and the fundamentalist Christians in the U.S.," he added. "They would not be able to go on without it. The settlers feel that they are in a weak position - they feel that they are on borrowed time. The international consensus is that the solution will include a Palestinian state and that the Israeli settlers will have to be evacuated. They are trying to build up their position, get more housing and mobilize maximum support."

Haaretz