Blog #10 Clearing The Tangled Path For Land Ownership In The West Bank

Clearing The Tangled Path For Land Ownership In The West Bank

In Palenstine, one can not simply own a piece of land. One can buy land, but they never see a title deed, as you would when you purchase a piece of land in the United States. People can buy land, but they never technically own it. A Palestinian-Canadian company called UCI is out to change that. They are buying property with money from the world bank in hopes to help with Palestine's economy.

To have the right to own your own property has many benefits for a person as well as the region of Palestine as a whole. Owning your own land in Palestine would allow the owner certain rights, including borrowing money against the land, using it as collateral.

Unfortunately, this is not a welcomed practice in Palestine. Many people think that UCI is a for profit company, just looking to earn money from them. They believe that the subdivided land would be better if made into housing developments instead of being sold to individuals. Many also believe that the land is overpriced and Palestinian's can not afford the cost of the land. A majority of Palestinian's believe that history should not be messed with, and that the area should stick with what they know.

From this article, UCI seems to have a great point: an economy will flourish if people are able to purchase land for their own personal ownership. They will be able to take loans out, using their property as collateral. This will allow for more money to be used in the region, which will in turn help the economy. However, I firmly believe in not taking out unnecessary loans. I believe that this is a world of debt, and that life would be much simpler if we didn't have the need for debt. This may be a naive thought, but I hope to have as little debt as possible, because I've seen people owe more than they bring in because they're allowed to take loans for more than they should due to having collateral. Those situations do not end well. With the people I've known who have dealt with this, they have ended up filing for bankruptcy, foreclosure, or even having their wages garnished because they can't afford the taxes on the properties that they have loans for. It seems like a never-ending downward spiral, because (unless you are very wealthy) you are required to take out loans to buy a house, land, and sometimes even a vehicle. This causes many to overextend themselves financially, and that is the downfall of our country. I would  hate to see the people of Palestine following in our debt-filled footsteps. I believe the Palestinian's are correct in saying that UCI should leave the region alone and let them continue on with their debt-free lives.

Andrika Payne 

4/24/2015

11:53 PM