The East Jerusalem real estate project known as Nof Tzion has been in deep financial difficult for months. Then along came a white knight who offered to buy it, invest in it and pay off the outstanding loans of debt holders (at 60 agurot on the shekel). The buyer’s attorney was Dov Weisglass, former confidant of Ariel Sharon. All appeared to be glatt kosher. That is, until the debt holders and residents of Nof Tzion discovered who the lead investor of the Cyprus-based venture was:, Basher Al-Masri, a Palestinian businessman. Then all hell broke loose:
“This is an essential test of Zionism,” a Nof Zion resident said. “It would be the first time that Jewish land would be sold to a Palestinian.”
The irony seems lost to her that the founding of what became Israel was based on the purchase of land (back in the days when Jews actually bought land from Palestinians rather than stealing it) from what were then known as “Arabs.” What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander, no? And what does she mean by “Jewish” land? How can a piece of land be intrinsically Jewish or anything else? Did God say when he created it that only a Jew could ever own it?
At any rate, pure business, which is what this should deal should be if Israel is based on a capitalist rather than a Jewish cronyist model, seems to have taken a back seat to Jewish jingoism. Another complicating factor was that one of the partners in the failed venture is the brother of Jerusalem’s nationalist, anti-Palestinian mayor. It would look bad to the mayor and his political backers for a Jewish venture to be sold to a Palestinian. A decisive vote on accepting the Palestinian offer has been postponed. And now there are rumors of an American-Jewish white knight whose aim is to torpedo the Palestinian offer.
Whatever racialist motives there were for delaying a vote and proceeding with Al-Masri’s offer weren’t reflected in the buyer’s own statement of his interest and intent:
This is business. I’m no politician. But rather a businessman of Palestinian nationality who knows how to work. If my business benefits my own people, then I feel even better.
What alarms the Jewish investors and residents is that Al-Masri plans to complete the construction of the remaining 300 units in the complex and sell them to middle-class Palestinian buyers. The Palestinian portion of the development would be separated physically, according to the description offered by Ynet, from the Jewish portion. One of the fears being bruited about is that if Al-Masri does take over the project he will refuse to sell to Jews out of Palestinian nationalist motives.
No one yet knows the identity of the Jewish investor-spoiler who’s trying to take the project out from under Al-Masri. There is a rumor that it may be Sheldon Adelson, though I don’t know how much weight to give to it. Of course, Irving Moskowitz is another possibility though I believe he lives in Israel now and I’m not sure I’d describe him as “American” as the article described the mystery man.
If the Palestinian offer is spurned then I think it becomes impossible to say that Jerusalem isn’t an apartheid city. If parts of the city are inalienably Jewish and may not be purchased by a Palestinian even under the terms of Israel’s capitalist system, then what else can you call it?
I looked up the project on googlearth, most of the project doesn’t appear yet on the free version, but the place where it stands today seems to be straddling the border of pre-67 Israel and the so-called “no-man’s land”.
It is definately not in “East Jerusalem” of pre-67.
Selling land to Jews is illegal and punishable by death under PA decree. You don’t seem to mention that little fact, so stop with all the apartheid nonsense. You remind me of all those “useful” Jews who worked for the creation of the Soviet Union in the name of equality, and were all quickly removed (i.e killed) when it was formed because they were a liability.
I am amazed by the self-destructiveness of Jews (as one myself), it’s as if some have a death wish. As someone who was born in an “Arab” country, let me tell you, they don’t like you, if you share their point of view, they’ll use you, but your still scum to them. It’s not about land, they will never be able to accept Jews. Not unless you are a dhimmi.
Blah, blah, blah. Hasbarist propaganda. Have you heard of anyone killed for selling to a Jew? And btw this hasn’t stopped the settlers fr. forgining deeds & claiming land WAS sold to them by Palestinians. Besides, your morality may be relative, but mine isn’t. Eventually, when there is peace there will be no ethnic distinctions about owning land. There should not be now. You would say its OK to refuse to allow Palestinians to buy “Jewish” land because you allege Jews can’t buy “Palestinian” land. I would say I oppose refusing to allow Palestinians to buy “Jewish” land simply because it’s racist & immoral. I don’t need to judge immorality relative to what my alleged enemy does.
You remind me of those useful idiots who were precisely that, idiots. Not idiots on behalf of a nation or ideology. Just offensive idiots. And so take our fond farewell of yr noxious nonsense. So many violations of comment rules here I can’t being to count.
Your e mail address if it is real indicates your name is (or might be) “James Booker” & yet you have the temerity to claim not only that you are Jewish but born in an Arab country (what do the quotation marks mean? You don’t even accept that there is such a concept?).
Frankly, I don’t believe you’re Jewish, but you sure are a wannabe. A Likudist wannabe.
Thank you!
“You would say its OK to refuse to allow Palestinians to buy “Jewish” land because you allege Jews can’t buy “Palestinian” land. I would say I oppose refusing to allow Palestinians to buy “Jewish” land simply because it’s racist & immoral. I don’t need to judge immorality relative to what my alleged enemy does.”
“Jerusalem is above politics…Contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city…” – Simon Wiesenthal’s full-page ad in the NY Times, Washington Post, WSJ, etc., April of 2010
SOURCE – http://www.scribd.com/doc/30030904/Wash-Post-Apr16-10-Elie-Wiesel-Ad-A13
OOPS! CORRECTION! I MEANT ELIE WIESEL INSTEAD OF SIMON WIESENTHAL! (Yesterday was apparently a “bad brain day” for me! Plus, something on the stove was about to burn, as I recall. Perhaps it was a ‘Freudian slip’. Possibly even some “undies”.)
CORRECTED VERSION: “For me, the Jew that I am, Jerusalem is above politics…
…Contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city…” – Elie Wiesel’s full-page ads in the International Herald Tribune, NY Times, Washington Post, and the WSJ in April of 2010.
SOURCE – http://www.scribd.com/doc/30030904/Wash-Post-Apr16-10-Elie-Wiesel-Ad-A13
P.S. About 100 Jewish residents of Jerusalem responded with an open letter expressing “outrage” at Wiesel’s ads, and accusing him of sentimentality and falsely claiming that there was no discrimination against Jerusalem’s Arab population. – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/12/elie-wiesel-criticism-jerusalem-residents