Jews Buying Land In West Bank Is Racist?

That's the theme of some Jewish groups and Palestinian rights groups, but since when is the purchase of land inherently racist? Whoever owns the land is going to receive market value for the land. Is there some reason that Jews buying land in the West Bank should be prevented from doing so? There are none that I can see, unless you think that Jews should not have the right to buy land wherever they want.

Congregation B'nai Yeshurun will host a real estate fair aimed at persuading American Jews to buy property in the disputed territories of the West Bank.

"The purchase of a home ... is an ideological gesture of love of the Land of Israel," said a letter to potential American investors from the Israeli group that's conducting the event.

But critics say such land sales would inflame the conflict by bringing more Jewish settlers to the predominantly Palestinian territories.

The settlements, built on land that Israeli forces seized in 1967 and continue to occupy, have been condemned as obstacles to peace by the United Nations, U.S. government officials and even many Israelis.

A Teaneck resident said he's organizing a protest to take place outside the synagogue.

"Our objection to this happening in Teaneck and America is that it makes us complicit in Israel's violation of international law," said Richard Siegel, who is active in the group New Jersey Solidarity.

A prominent North Jersey Palestinian agreed, adding that the event is inherently racist.

"I'm sure if I attended the meeting and told them I was an American citizen interested in purchasing land that I would be denied," said Aref Assaf of the American Arab Forum in Paterson. "And yet I was born there."

The group organizing the meeting -- the Amana Settlement Movement -- did not return two phone calls seeking comment.

Funny thing is that no one is stopping anyone from buying land in the West Bank or Gaza, though one has to wonder why anyone would buy land in Gaza considering the anarchy and lawlessness propagated by the Palestinians themselves.

What else is the story missing? How about some background on the group New Jersey Solidarity:

We are committed to several primary principles of unity to guide our organizing. We call for an immediate end to the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories, the recognition of the full, non-negotiable human right of return for all Palestinian refugees, and full political, social and economic equality under law for all people in historic Palestine. We are opposed to the existence of the apartheid colonial settler state of Israel, as it is based on the racist ideology of Zionism and is an expression of colonialism and imperialism, and we stand for the total liberation of all of historic Palestine. As an anti-racist, anti-imperialist movement, we support equality and justice for all peoples and all religious identities.

So, they don't believe that Israel should exist, and that Jews shouldn't have the right to buy property in the territories. Nice.