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Settler: 'Israel belongs to the Jewish people' By GRACE HOUSHOLDER
We went to a controversial Israeli settlement called Efrat immediately after we left the Dheisheh Camp on the West Bank. Efrat is a short drive from the Palestinian refugee camp, but light years away in quality of life. The 6,000 residents of the gated, hilltop community enjoy beautiful gardens and spectacular views. The smallest apartments start at $180,000. Most of the residents are highly-educated professionals who work in Jerusalem. Efrat is controversial because, like most Israeli settlements, it is on land the Palestinians claim belongs to them. Every time a settlement is created or expanded Palestinians lose more land. Almost every settlement has some kind of expansion under way. The spokesman for Efrat was Ardie Geldman, a native of Chicago. He and his wife, a native of San Diego, have five daughters and a son. "We paid a pretty penny for these homes," Geldman told us. "It's a good, healthy place to raise your kids." He said the homes, which are all privately owned, range from $180,000 to "the sky's the limit." As dusk descended, Geldman spoke to us while we were seated in our bus driving around the immaculate, well-planned community. Some of us got off the bus to use the restroom and thereby saw part of Efrat's shopping area. Stylishly dressed residents briskly made their way home or did last-minute errands. Geldman told us Efrat was created on paper in the 1970s. The first families moved there in 1983. He said Efrat is a "religious town" and the Sabbath (Saturday) is a quiet day for eating, visiting and going to the synagogue. (He later told us that, in contrast to Efrat's residents, most Israelis are not religious, "they are very secular.") About 40 percent of the residents of Efrat are from North America and English is their native language. Sixty percent are native-born Israelis. Geldman said their lifestyles are very similar to those in the U.S. because of television and the Internet. However, the boys and girls of Efrat are educated separately. The land Efrat is built on was Jordanian state land, Geldman said. "The vineyards below belong to Palestinian families," he said. "That land has not been touched. We did not take away the agricultural land of Palestinian Arabs living near Efrat." He said the master plan calls for settlements on the two hills past Efrat, toward Jerusalem. "Even though those hills are part of the master plan, it's deemed politically correct not to build on those hills," he said. Geldman, who works in Jerusalem in grant development for social programs, said a few residents of Efrat work with computers and develop software in their homes. But basically Efrat is a "bedroom suburb" for physicians, scientists, rabbis, attorneys and building contractors. They choose to live in Efrat because the quality of life is better than in Jerusalem. Geldman said a characteristic of Americans is to think there's a solution for all problems. But he said in the Mideast some problems don't have foreseeable solutions. He said the "angst" of the Israeli people is based on the fact they have the most powerful military force in the Mideast "but our people are afraid to walk through the streets ... We want peace just as much as the Palestinians but we do not have the sense of security we feel is reasonable to expect for a final agreement ... I cannot go into Bethlehem without being in fear of my life." Geldman said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat hasn't put an end to terrorism and "that's what keeps us from buying into the peace process." Geldman claimed the Israelis and Palestinians are "two very different peoples" and neither is interested in confederation. "There can be a Palestinian state someday," he said. "That notion is seeping into the heads of more and more Israelis." He didn't say where he thought a Palestinian state should be located. "Israel belongs to the Jewish people," he told us. "We are not making this up. The Bible shows a strong connection (whereas) the identity of the people of Palestine is only 50-60 years old. I came here in 1982 because we believe it is our destiny to live in our homeland. Israel belongs to the Jewish people. Palestinians have the opposite idea. They believe there has always been a Palestine. We are dealing with two totally conflicting realities." Geldman said he doesn't know why refugee camps such as the one we visited still exist. "Why don't the millionaire Palestinians who live around that camp put their money together and help those people and give them proper housing?" he asked. He didn't tell us where that housing could be located. |
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