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Israeli Arabs Are Snapping Up West Bank Homes
(Times of Israel) Tal Schneider - In the West Bank, where homes cost a fraction of what they would in Israel, a large number of Arab citizens of Israel are buying second homes for investment properties or a dream vacation residence. Among the most popular areas are Jericho Gate, a new planned neighborhood on the outskirts of the Jordan Valley city; Rawabi, the first planned Palestinian city in the West Bank, just north of Ramallah; Tulkarm and Jenin, home to campuses of American University, where almost half the student body is Israeli; and Rafidia in Nablus. By one estimation, one in five Israeli Arabs has land or a home in the West Bank. Sami Ali, who advises Palestinian companies that market houses and apartments to buyers within Israel, said: "In the past, Israeli Arabs invested in properties in Turkey, but the return on investment was not worth it anymore. We have Ramallah and the West Bank an hour away. You can go on vacation every week; it's the Palestinian people, so there is mutual trust, solidarity. Why go to Turkey and worry about crooks out there?" Khalil Haju, a Haifa real estate agent, said, "Israeli Arabs buy them as rentals or an investment, and they don't intend to actually go there to live."