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Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Illegal Settlements in West Bank

Puppycow

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Puppycow
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Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank

HAR BRACHA, West Bank — Twice a year, American evangelicals show up at a winery in this Jewish settlement in the hills of ancient Samaria to play a direct role in biblical prophecy, picking grapes and pruning vines.

Believing that Christian help for Jewish winemakers here in the occupied West Bank foretells Christ’s second coming, they are recruited by a Tennessee-based charity called HaYovel that invites volunteers “to labor side by side with the people of Israel” and “to share with them a passion for the soon coming jubilee in Yeshua, messiah.”

But during their visit in February the volunteers found themselves in the middle of the fight for land that defines daily life here. When the evangelicals headed into the vineyards, they were pelted with rocks by Palestinians who say the settlers have planted creeping grape vines on their land to claim it as their own. Two volunteers were hurt. In the ensuing scuffle, a settler guard shot a 17-year-old Palestinian shepherd in the leg.

“These people are filled with ideas that this is the Promised Land and their duty is to help the Jews,” said Izdat Said Qadoos of the neighboring Palestinian village. “It is not the Promised Land. It is our land.”

HaYovel is one of many groups in the United States using tax-exempt donations to help Jews establish permanence in the Israeli-occupied territories — effectively obstructing the creation of a Palestinian state, widely seen as a necessary condition for Middle East peace.

The result is a surprising juxtaposition: As the American government seeks to end the four-decade Jewish settlement enterprise and foster a Palestinian state in the West Bank, the American Treasury helps sustain the settlements through tax breaks on donations to support them.
. . .
In some ways, American tax law is more lenient than Israel’s. The outposts receiving tax-deductible donations — distinct from established settlements financed by Israel’s government — are illegal under Israeli law. And a decade ago, Israel ended tax breaks for contributions to groups devoted exclusively to settlement-building in the West Bank.
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This is ridiculous.
 
Yeah, steal that land.

Gandhi said some ******** about how Jews do not have the right to enter Arab lands "under the shadow of the British gun." Hey diaper boy: What about the almighty (tax-exempt) dollar? Jewish families need more room. "Palestinians" can go to lavish Gaza, where residents enjoy hours of electricity. Someone needs to put those people "on a diet."
 
Sword_Of_Truth said:
The definitions of "steal" and "illegal" around here appear to be very flexible.
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It says that the settlements are "illegal under Israeli law" in the N.Y. Times article. I even bolded it in the OP. The N.Y. Times usually gets its facts straight, but if you think they are wrong about this, please state why.
 
Ahh...so Israelis steal Palestinian private property...and the American people lose out on tax revenue.

Sounds like a wonderful scam. I'd love to find out the name of the bastard who thought up this little deal.

I'm sure this article will make the whole world understand that the USA is an honest, unbiased broker in the Israel/Palestine conflict.
 
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Confiscating Palestinian private property, with NO conpensation for the owners, is theft/stealing.

Confiscating private property in occupied territory, for the purpose of building civilian housing or intrastructure, is illegal.

The only way Israel can legally confiscate property in the West Bank, is if they first annex the area where the property is. Otherwise, it is illegal under International law & Israeli law.
 
I realize this is the politics section, but what an unholy religious alliance! You've got Zionists who want to fulfill prophecy of making the desert bloom taking money from evangelical Christians who think the Zionists will fulfill their own end-times prophecies. Each thinks the other will doubtless burn in hell for eternity.

Of course, what both have in common is a disdain for church/state separation.
 
legality of the settlements aside, why the #$%& is it a tax-exempt donation to help out a foreign country build housing for middle-class and upper-class people????

don't we have a HUGE budget decifit in this country?

and of course, this tax-exemption is probably mostly supported by the "fiscally conservative" GOP.
 
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Thunder said:
legality of the settlements aside, why the #$%& is it a tax-exempt donation to help out a foreign country build housing for middle-class and upper-class people????

don't we have a HUGE budget decifit in this country?

and of course, this tax-exemption is probably mostly supported by the "fiscally conservative" GOP.
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its tax exempt because its a non-profit charity

you could certainly argue the benefactors dont need charity, but that doesnt change the fact thats its an NPO, and thus eligible for tax exempt status
 
defaultdotxbe said:
its tax exempt because its a non-profit charity

you could certainly argue the benefactors dont need charity, but that doesnt change the fact thats its an NPO, and thus eligible for tax exempt status
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how is it non-profit? are there no private developers? do buyers not get a mortgage?
 
im sure someone somehow, gets a profit when these homes are sold. either the bank that makes the loan, or the developer.
 
defaultdotxbe said:
and im sure the organization pulling a profit is not tax exempt
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the profit makers are probably in Israel.

excuse me for being uncomfortable with the idea of American investments in illegal and immoral settlements being tax-free.
 
Thunder said:
the profit makers are probably in Israel.

excuse me for being uncomfortable with the idea of American investments in illegal and immoral settlements being tax-free.
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the charity almost seems like a limited version of farmaid

Mission Statement

To strengthen and undergird the often overlooked small independent farmer in Israel through creative networking, education, tourism, and activism.
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http://www.hayovel.com/about/vision-and-mission-statement
 
Thunder said:
im sure someone somehow, gets a profit when these homes are sold. either the bank that makes the loan, or the developer.
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The donations are given by congregants to their evangelical churches here in the U.S. which enjoy non-profit status. The church then gives some of that money to fund Israeli settlements.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure there's anything that can be done. Their non-profit status forbids them from endorsing a candidate in a political race (here in the U.S., that is), but I don't know if it gives us any leverage about them donating their money overseas.

I'm not sure of this, but I try to stay up on the news of lawsuits raised by Americans United, and I don't recall them addressing this issue. (I could well have missed it, but I don't know if there's any legal recourse.)
 
Puppycow said:
It says that the settlements are "illegal under Israeli law" in the N.Y. Times article. I even bolded it in the OP. The N.Y. Times usually gets its facts straight, but if you think they are wrong about this, please state why.
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Depends which settlement bloc you are referring to, as stated in the NYT article, there are those that are legal and those outlying ones which aren't.
 
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