Where to live in Israel

In Tel Aviv four-bedroom apartments go for $850,000, while a “giant” three-bedroom home in the West Bank starts at around $210,000. Plus, in the West Bank you get a discount on purchase taxes; West Bank settlers pay lower property taxes than other homeowners and receive a disproportionate share of state benefits, including funding for education and municipal services. In one new settlement you'll find a community center, classrooms, a day care, a swimming pool, a library, multiple synagogues, and a new shopping center. With the highway system (primarily for Jews) you can get to Tel Aviv and other major cities in a little over a half-hour.

The West Bank is growing. There are now 228 settlements. In 1993, 110,066 Israelis were living in West Bank settlements. Now it's 350,010.  Since the beginning of 2009, the Jewish population in the West Bank has grown more than 23 percent—compared with 9.6 percent growth for the national population.