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Israel orders settlers to evacuate controversial Hebron building

17 December 2012 19:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Israeli State Attorney's office notified the Supreme Court on Monday that Jewish settlers residing in a controversial building in Hebron would be evicted by April 24, 2013, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Two Jewish families are currently residing in the four-room premises of "Beit Ezra." They have taken over the compound after the Israeli Defense Forces evacuated two Palestinians from the complex for security reasons in 2001, during the second inifada ( violent uprising) in the West Bank.

The state's response was made amid a hearing in a petition filed in 2010 by the Peace Now Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) monitoring the construction in the settlements, on behalf of the Palestinians shopkeepers that were evacuated.

The Jewish families, on their behalf, claim to own the building in 1947 and flee the place after violent conflicts with the Arabs. Then it passed to the hands of the state custodian of abandoned properties and then to Jordan, who allocated the property to Palestinian merchants.

Two years ago, in its initial response to the petition, the state clarified that it is examining various legal aspects as to the future of the property, including an option of turning the stores in the building into a public facilities to use the Jewish settlers of Hebron.

After a long delay, the Supreme Court forced the government to make its decision by the middle of December.

A warrant of eviction was issued against the two Jewish families who invaded the building in 2001 and the military appeals committee determined that they should be evacuated but that following the eviction the premises could be rented once again to Jewish settlers.

The Attorney General said the army committee's decision has been only a recommendation and called to act up on the eviction by April of 2013.

In a statement issued following the decision, the Jewish settlers in Hebron said that it is "very unfortunate that the government succumbs to left-wing factors in the attorney's office. "