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On the evening of Monday, March 19,
2007 around 200 settlers from Kiryat Arba’ and other small outposts and
settlements in Hebron
city, occupied a building belonging to Fayez Rajabi and Mohammed Baradi’ee.
The building is located to the west the
Kiryat Arba’ settlement, on the main road that leads to the center of the city,
in an area called al-Ras. The large building, measuring 300 sq. meters in
total, is three floors; it holds six individual apartments and 16 shops on the
ground level, in addition to an empty hall on the second floor.
The settlers acted under the protection
of Israeli soldiers and the police. During the occupation of the building, the
settlers threw stones at other houses and the main road was closed off for
Palestinians.
The settlers claim they bought the land
on which the building is built on. The owner of the house said he purchased
this land 16 years ago from the original owner and has all the documentation to
prove it.
The governor of Hebron, Areef Ja’barae, released an official
statement yesterday condemning the actions of the settlers and the cooperation
of the soldiers and police. This incident is not uncommon in Hebron. TIPH, Temporary International
Presence in the city of Hebron,
also issued a statement demanding that the Israeli authorities cooperate in
compelling the settlers to leave the building. They also urged the settlers to
take up any legitimate legal problems with the courts, as opposed to taking
actions into their own hands.
Hebron has a unique
situation, as it is the only city in the West Bank
which contains settlements directly inside the city. Settlers often occupy
houses and shops of Palestinians, which only adds to the tensions between
Israelis and Palestinians. The settlers regularly take matters into their own
hands, with backing from the soldiers and Israeli police. Occupying this
building, located in a highly populated area in a Palestinian section of the
city, is a grave violation. The settlers are taking the law into their own
hands and the soldiers and police are supporting this lawlessness.
If the settlers go ahead in taking over
this building, it will most likely lead to more problems and clashes, something
Hebron already
deals with regularly.
The Palestinians, and the Israeli and
international peace organizations are regarding this as a very serious matter.
It is an escalation that settlers have initiated, on their way to overtaking
the city and to make more problems and difficulties for the Palestinians.
Currently, Palestinians in Hebron
already face a lot of limitations due to the presence of settlers, including
violence, the closing of shops, land confiscation and a limited social
existence. If this occupation is allowed to continue it will be setting a
precedence for more settlers to act illegally and further damage relations and
the future possibilities for a just peace.
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