A closed military zone has been put in place around a three story building in Hebron taken over and illegally occupied by 100 settlers in an overnight raid last Thursday. Initially the military ordered them to evacuate by 3 pm today, but Netanyahu stepped in and requested a delay. The situation is now on hold. The settlers are still occupying the property, only now they are being protected by the very same military who previously ordered them to evacuate.
Ehud Barak had ordered the settlers out of the house in the West Bank city on Tuesday because they had not received the military’s approval to purchase it.
The settlers say they bought the house from its Palestinian owners legally.
But local Palestinian police disputed the validity of the deal, saying the building had more than 50 owners, only one of whom sold his share.
On Monday, the Israeli military told the settlers they had until 15:00 (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday to leave the house or prove it was theirs, after which the authorities would “act to restore the building to its previous state”.
“After examining all the evidence that was handed over and after considering all the circumstances of the incident, it was decided to return to the situation which existed before,” the military order said.
The settlers did not obtain military approval to buy the house and their takeover constituted a provocation, it added.
But overnight, Mr Netanyahu “asked the defence minister to allow the settlers in the building to have time to make their legal case”, officials in the prime minister’s office said.
Thus far the paperwork has not been verified, the settlers have ignored the deadline to evacuate and the Israeli government has remained silent and has not moved to evict them.
Dozens of Jewish settlers on Tuesday ignored a deadline to evacuate an illegally occupied West Bank house, as the government remained silent on whether they would be allowed to stay.
The passing of the deadline and lack of action from authorities compounded doubts about the willingness of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to take on settlers who have tried to cement the Jewish presence on lands claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. Both Netanyahu, who has sided with the settlers in the already volatile city of Hebron, and the defense minister, who wants them to leave, were silent.
“Settlers say they bought the house from a Palestinian property owner, but the military said it had not yet ascertained whether the purchase was legitimate. That process could take days or weeks, military spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar said. The mayor of Hebron, Khaled Osaily, told Army Radio that the purchase documents were fraudulent, and that the seller was not acting on behalf of the building’s owner.”
LATimes (my bold)
As of Tuesday evening, the settlers remained inside the property and the military had not moved to evict them.
“This is a very delicate zone and their staying can harm the stability of the area or might bring Palestinians into the streets,” said Guy Inbar, a spokesman for the military’s civil administration. “That’s what we are trying to avoid.”
He said the military has not determined whether the settlers’ purchase contract is legal, but even if it is, he said they did not receive military authorization needed for West Bank transactions of this type.
“It is a fact that they are staying there illegally,” he said.
If settlers are permitted to stay, it would mark the first new foothold by Jewish settlers in Hebron in years.
…….
The Palestinian family that previously owned the property said some relatives had sold their interest to a Palestinian security official. It is being investigated whether that man, who is reportedly under arrest by the Palestinian Authority, subsequently sold the property to representatives of the settlers.
Hebron’s Palestinian mayor accused the settlers of forging the documents.
This eviction is getting lots of coverage today albeit there are wide discrepancies regarding the number of settlers, as reports roll in the numbers appear to grow. There is an understanding the eviction order could touch off a show down between the Israeli military and a militant, fanatical settler community. Thus far the ‘showdown’ is taking place between Israeli politicians, between Barak and Netanyahu….supposedly.
The Israeli military has no qualms about violently evicting Palestinian activists . Juxtaposition noted.
there have been many showdowns in Hebron over the years. Decades
Art Gish spent many winters in Hebron with Palestinians trying to protect their homes and land
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/remembering-art-gish/
Gish lived up to the CPT’s slogan “Getting in the way” when he faced up to an Israeli tank in 2003 to try to prevent it from destroying a market in Hebron’s Old City.
The illegal settlers are “crazies” Most of Israel’s Prime Minsters have allowed them to do the dirty illegal work to expand ” Greater” Israel. In persistent violation of UN resolutions and International laws. Nothing has changed on the ground. In fact many who have been going to the area for decades think things are much worse
Annie sure hope Mondoweiss gets rid of that “show content” feature which certainly takes away from the flow of the conversation. What is the point?
Terri Gross has an interview with Peter Beinart today. You can be sure she will take this opportunity to repeat her endlessly repeated false mantras about Iran during the this interview. Have never heard Gross have a Palestinian on her program. She persistently uses her program to promote her “people” and her views about the I/P conflict. Someone like Fair could do a study focused on Gross and her biases.
Also former head of the CIA’s Bin Laden unit Micheal Scheuer has an important piece up about US middle east policies at “Non Intervention”
This is indeed Apartheid. If I recall, Arabic part of Hebron is in Area A, where Israeli’s are not allowed without a permit. A leftist Jew apprehended in Hebron can be captured by Palestinian police and I have read an account. After being politely sited in a police station the author of the account was plied with beverages and then transported to a point where he was handed to IDF, and received scolding.
Palestinian police has full authority and should evict them in any way they deem proper. But of course the law is different for leftist Jews and for the settlers. One of the aspects of the Jewish State is that you are treated according to the quality of your Jewishness. Settlers are obviously ueber Juden and the leftist, unter Juden.
On another matter: “Show comments” is easy to locate one can use browser search feature to search for “Show”.
If one mucks with comment display, one can borrow the idea from DailyKos, personal filter where you can write user names whose comments you do not want to see (without extra clicks).
http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2011/06/christian-peace-maker-team-in-hebron.html
http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2010/04/soldiers-attack-nonviolent-protest-in.html
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Soldiers Attack Nonviolent Protest In Hebron, Kidnap Four
IMEMC
Israeli soldiers used excessive force against a nonviolent protest in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, and kidnapped Four residents. The protest was organized against the ongoing closure of the Al Shuhada Street in Hebron.
Approximately 100 protestors, including a number of Israeli and international peace activists, gathered near illegal settlement outposts installed by Jewish settlers….
The protestors chanted for freedom, and demanded Israel to reopen the road so that the residents can move freely. They also demanded the evacuation of Jewish settlements and illegal outposts….