Oi vey.

Here I try so hard to end stereotype that we Jews love money (who doesn't love money?), and now the American Jews have decided to buy up the West Bank. Serious. The man in charge says this:

"This is a reaction to the Obama administration's attempts to tell Jews where they can and cannot live in Israel," he said. "And while you can support and care about the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria or east Jerusalem, when you buy something, you're making the ultimate statement." (J.Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1258027307098&pagename=JPost%2FJ...)

What do you think? Is a transaction, yes? Is a free market. American Jews see this as an opportunity to make money and send a political statement. This would not happen with Israeli Jews. We do not have such capitalistic tendancies, I think, but this is of course a generalization.

(1) Is this legal?
(2) Is this morally right?

Israel owns the land. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, maybe not next year, but today, Israel owns the land. And if the Americans purchase it honestly, is this not the same as me purchasing summer home in Florida? (Not that I am of need for summer home, haha).

Or is this just using what the majority of Palestinians do not have--money? They cannot afford to buy back their land. They cannot afford to compete with wealthy American settlers. They would lose their territory not because of political sanctions but because of economic fragility.

And though many Jews are upset that President Obama is telling them where they can and cannot live, are we not doing the same to our Arab neighbors if we subscribe to this plan?