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Israeli army orders eviction of settlers occupying Hebron dwelling

02 April 2012 19:41 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Israeli army’s civil administration (CA) on Monday afternoon gave several dozen Jewish settlers 24-hours to leave a house in the Arab part of Hebron they took over last Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The settlers claim they purchased the three-story house some four months ago from its Palestinian owners, and have presented documents as evidence of the deal. However, a post-1967 war military law says that sales of property in the West Bank require prior CA approval, which was not granted in this case.

A ministerial committee assigned to deal with settlement issues will meet on Monday or Tuesday, in an attempt to find a solution that would allow the settlers to remain in the house.

Minister of Information and Diaspora Affairs, Yuli Edelstein, on Monday explained to Xinhua the ministers’ opposition to the eviction order.

"We can’t allow that areas within Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) will be Judenrein," Edelstein said, referring to the Nazi regime’s term for areas cleared of a Jewish presence.

He added that the location of the house, 100 meters from the Cave of the Patriarchs - sacred to both Jews and Muslims - can be exploited to "make it difficult for those seeking to disrupt public order from doing so."

As for the military law preventing the settlers from legally taking over the house, Edelstein said that "It is clear the government and the Ministry of Defense should cancel it. This law is not feasible, and it is an embarrassment to the law books."

The minister visited the house on Saturday and met with the settlers, noting that "They have all the documents from the deal, which was also recorded by video, so there is no doubt regarding its legal validity," he said.

"Yesterday I spoke to the prime minister about it, and I hope that either today or tomorrow there will be an official announcement that will put an end to these disputes," Edelstein said.

Hebron Brigade commander, Col. Guy Hazut, is among the officers opposed to the settlers’ actions, the Ha’aretz daily reported Monday.

Hazut told acquaintances in private conversion that he took offence at not being informed of the purchase and the takeover. He also expressed his disapproval to the leaders of the Hebron Jewish community, the report noted.

The Hebrew presence in Hebron is believed to go back to pre- biblical times. The Book of Genesis mentions the Patriarch Abraham purchasing the Cave of Machpela as burial sites for his wife Sarah, and for himself. Later, according to both Jewish and Muslim tradition, the cave also served as the burial places of patriarchs Issac and Jacob, and matriarchs, Rebecca and Leah.

During the 19th century, Jews again settled in large numbers in Hebron, until they fled during the 1936 Arab revolt in Palestine. After the 1967 war, Jews again came back to Hebron, establishing a settlement inside the Arab city.

Today, some 750 Jews live in the city in several army-protected neighborhoods, as part of the 1998 Wye River Memorandum between Israel and the Palestinians.