CPTnet
17 April 2014
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Israeli settlers moving into Al-Rajabi house
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| An Israeli human rights activist and observer protesting the illegal confiscation of the Al Rajabi House. Pale- stinians face prolonged prison time, abuse, and torture during an arrest. International workers face detention and possible deportation. |
On 11 April 2014, Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals convened at the
Al-Rajabi building to protest the illegal expansion of Israeli settlements in
Hebron near the settlement of Kiryat Arba. Human rights advocates have opposed
the takeover of the Palestinian building, because it poses a grave impediment
to the sovereignty of the Palestinian community of Hebron and presents
obstacles to peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The Palestinian community has been fighting the takeover through Israel’s legal
system since 2007.
Early in March of 2007, Jewish settlers broke into the Al-Rajabi building and
laid siege to the Palestinian property under the protection of the Israeli
military. The Hebron Rehabilitation Committee and the Palestinian petitioned
the Israeli Supreme Court and had the Israeli settlers evicted in 2008 until
the ownership could be determined, during which time, the investigation
revealed the documents of purchase were forged. The forgery was substantiated
by the Criminal Investigation Laboratory of the Israeli Police, by the Israeli
prosecution and by the Supreme Court.
Despite this proof, on 11 March
2014, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Israeli settlers should pay the
Palestinian owner of the building the amount specified in the forged sale
documents.
Palestinians, Israelis and International human rights advocates call upon the
Israeli government to stop the settlement expansion under international and
Israeli law, and call up on the international community to speak out.
The settlement expansion of the Al Rajabi house will essentially cut off
Palestinian neighborhoods from each other, and Israeli’s long history of
utilizing security measurements to annex further Palestinian land around the Al
Rajabi house will jeopardize more Palestinian families. The Al Rajabi house
lies between the Givat Ha’vot settlement and Kiryat Arba settlement, and
confiscation of this building will isolate hundreds of Palestinians from access
to the central economic hub of Hebron.
For more on the logistic and demographic consequences of a settler takeover of
the Rajabi house, please see this map.
