About a month ago, upon visiting a developed “settlement” town in the West Bank called Efrat, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. My friend and I traveled to visit her family via bulletproof bus. We needed a bulletproof bus because Arabs from neighboring Arab settlements have shot many commuters to and from the Jewish developments. What struck me especially were the types of people who actually lived there. Whenever I’d heard about tension in the West Bank, I’d always imagined radical zealots with whom no one could really affiliate. Conversely however, throughout my entire weekend in Efrat, I did not meet one natural born Israeli! The entire “settlement of hostile settlers” was actually comprised of nothing but welcoming Americans.
After returning home to Jerusalem, I did some research to verify my observations. I found that one aspect of discussion about Israel that is either usually forgotten or simply not known about by most is the large American community living in the country. Whether it is due to a religious connection, ideological ties or simply an affinity to the geographical location, many Americans have moved to Israel in recent years.
According to statistics from the Israel Aliyah Center (In Hebrew, “Aliyah” is the word for immigration to Israel which means “rising up,” referring to one’s spiritual state being enhanced upon dwelling in the holy land), despite the violence incited by Palestinian terrorist organizations, 41,224 new immigrants have arrived to Israel in the past three years. Additionally, of those immigrants, interestingly, over 1,000 chose to live in the areas of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, areas often referred to as “the settlements.”
Throughout last year alone, about 2,040 North Americans moved to Israel and the numbers are up more than 20 percent this year. A common belief is that many feel compelled to show their support for the country as it faces heightened violence in its conflict with Palestinian terrorism. According to the statistics, the number of North Americans immigrating to Israel has not been so high in 25 or 30 years.
So what does this mean for the future? According to the American Jewish Committee, by the year 2080, Israel’s Jewish population will likely double, reaching 10 million. Therefore, within the next 20 years, Israel will most likely be home to the absolute majority of the world’s Jewish children. By 2080, 77 to 86 percent of all Jews under the age of 15 will be living in Israel, leaving the Diaspora Jewish communities feeble.
Along with a growing American presence in the country, American attitudes toward Israel seem favorable. In a recent poll based on these attitudes conducted by The Israel Project, the majority of respondents felt positive about the country. According to the census, of those Americans with college or post-graduate education who are also regular readers/viewers of a national newspaper, news magazine and or network/cable news shows with incomes of $75,000 or more, just over 50 percent of those polled in October identified themselves as supporters of Israel while only 12 percent said they backed the Palestinians in the conflict. In addition, in a poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which questioned 1,318 respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it was reported that 55 percent of respondents said they supported “armed attacks” in Israel, and just over 95 percent were reported to have an anti-American sentiment.
Such statistics are, to some degree, extremely surprising for a college student in Amherst, where the presence of unbridled Palestinian apologists and propaganda seems to prevail. As educated Americans, it is imperative that we research conflicts from several different sources and remain constantly informed about affairs all over the world. By keeping ourselves up to date regarding the conflict in the Middle East and remembering that it is necessary to remove ourselves from our ethnocentric “Pioneer Valley bubbles,” we will be able to most accurately understand and be aware of situations such as this one. Such action is essential in order for us to be knowledgeable Americans who are able recognize the vast world surrounding us.
Leah Vitale is a Collegian columnist on exchange in Israel.
