A Privilege and Obligation
Since
the inception of the Al Aqsa intifada, 380,000 Palestinians emigrated from the
Gaza strip and the West Bank, funded primarily by the emigrant’s own funds or
that of a relative. The overwhelming majority would emigrate if they could, but
the general Palestinian population cannot afford the legal costs for obtaining
visas, let alone the travel expense and the cost of settling into a new country.
Even the Palestinians that have assets cannot liquidate, as there is no
Palestinian market for them to sell their homes and land. Although a limited
number are willing to sell to Jews, they risk death at the hands of Palestinian
radicals and most Jews are not willing to buy the land if there is no
assurance that they will be permitted by the Israeli government to take
possession in order to farm or build on it.
In addition, after September 11, 2001, it has become very difficult for Palestinians to obtain visas to Western countries, and in order to emigrate they must leave Israel via the Jordanian border or reach Ben Gurion Airport. However, Jordan has closed their border and Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel on their own.
Those
families that are successful in leaving the confines of the
Palestinian Authority seek locations where transition to the new country is
easier. As a result, they
Assisted emigration is the
most promising way to abate the violence. Most Palestinians live
in five large cities,
Area A and their surrounding suburbs, Area B. There are only 200,000 Palestinians
scattered in small villages and isolated farms in the remaining 58% of the West
Bank. It is this small population that holds the key. If they were given the
opportunity to emigrate, there would be a sufficient buffer zone so that the
remaining population can conduct their own affairs without an obtrusive Israeli
presence and Israel can easily patrol, even unobtrusively via aerial cameras.
HaMotzi is a grassroots organization that pools talents and resources from various quarters, to facilitate Palestinian emigration. We arrange for the financing, transportation, and absorption, of Palestinian emigrants, to countries that have favorable immigration policies and opportunities for Palestinians to realize their economic and social potential.